Patents Examined by Paul N. Dickson
  • Patent number: 11866096
    Abstract: A spatial frame structure of a vehicle designed for connecting structural assemblies. The described frame construction allows the use of interchangeable high-capacity fuel tanks. As a result, most structural assemblies are mounted to the outside of the frame, thus creating additional space in which elements of alternative fuel and energy source systems (e.g. natural gas tanks, electric batteries) can be assembled. This makes it possible to increase the working time of the agricultural vehicle. The frame construction comprises rigidly interconnected longitudinal tubular beams, transverse, perpendicular and diagonally arranged structural pipes, additionally connecting stiffness elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: AUGA GROUP, AB
    Inventor: Kȩstutis Ju{hacek over (s)}{hacek over (c)}ius
  • Patent number: 11867143
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatuses for implementing a vehicle safety lock assembly are described herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Inventor: Guadalupe Ramon Gil Vera
  • Patent number: 11858564
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a frame, a first axle assembly coupled to the frame and including a first pair of tractive elements, a second axle assembly coupled to the frame and including a second pair of tractive elements, a prime mover coupled to the frame and configured to drive the first axle assembly and the second tractive assembly to propel the vehicle, a ballast movably coupled to the frame, and a ballast actuator configured to reposition the ballast relative to the frame to shift a center of gravity of the vehicle relative to the first axle assembly and the second axle assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC
    Inventor: Daniel Payne
  • Patent number: 11858570
    Abstract: An autonomous mobile robot is provided. The autonomous mobile robot includes an upper module including a cargo space provided therein, and a cover, a lower module positioned under the upper module and providing a driving force, and a driving module provided in the lower module, in which the driving module includes a plurality of pairs of wheels capable of asynchronously contacting a road surface or ground so as to overcome a step or a stair.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: ROBOTIS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Woo Sik Yang, Byoung Soo Kim, In Yong Ha
  • Patent number: 11859658
    Abstract: A steering system includes an arm, a knuckle, a joint, and a steering sensor. The arm defines a first passage. The knuckle has a knuckle arm defining a second passage. The joint has a ball portion and a shaft portion extending. The ball portion is disposed within the first passage and the shaft portion is disposed within the second passage. The ball portion defines a conical recess that has an opening at an upper end of the ball portion and terminates inside the ball portion with a pocket. The steering sensor has a driveshaft extending along a longitudinal axis into the conical recess. The driveshaft includes a head that engages with the pocket. The ball portion is configured to pivot within the first passage relative to the longitudinal axis and the head. The joint and the driveshaft are configured to rotate together about the longitudinal axis as the knuckle is turned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC
    Inventors: Richard D. Kerner, Thomas J. Paulson
  • Patent number: 11851113
    Abstract: A self-stabilizing vehicle includes a mass gyroscope which is fixed at an occupant compartment chassis corresponding to a portion where occupants sit. The occupant compartment portion may tilt outwards in response to the centrifugal force. If the vehicle has three or more wheels, the load is evenly distributed on the left wheel and the right wheel which move oppositely up and down about an effectively centrally-mounted shaft pin. Further, the present disclosure proposes a method for operating the self-stabilizing vehicle. According to the self-stabilizing vehicle and the operating method thereof, a vehicle having a narrow body may be used. When the vehicle undergoes external forces such as the centrifugal force and the crosswind, the occupant compartment can maintain the vertical stability even though the wheels may slide sideways.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: DAHON TECH (SHENZHEN) CO., LTD.
    Inventor: David Tak Wei Hon
  • Patent number: 11851023
    Abstract: Provided is a pre-tensioner for a seat belt, the pre-tensioner including a housing, a carrier disposed on a first surface of the housing, a fixing member connected to the carrier, a first pulley disposed in a first zone of the first surface of the housing, a second pulley disposed in a second zone of the first surface opposite to the first zone with respect to the carrier, a driving unit having at least a portion coupled to the second pulley, and a belt disposed to mesh with the first pulley, the second pulley, and the carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Corporation, Samsong Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Dae Woon Kim, Jung Woo Park, Won Ryong Song
  • Patent number: 11850903
    Abstract: A vehicle height adjuster includes an actuator provided to form vertical linear displacement between a leaf spring and a suspension arm, a power source connected to the actuator and configured to provide power to drive the actuator, a vehicle height sensor provided to detect a change in a height of the suspension arm relative to a vehicle body, and a controller connected to the vehicle height sensor and the power source and configured to receive a signal from the vehicle height sensor and to control the power source to drive the actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Corporation, HYUNDAI MOBIS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jae Hun Kim, Hee Hoon Son
  • Patent number: 11850902
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to providing a strut suspension system configured to improve a steering property by reducing steering frictional resistance when a steering wheel is rotationally manipulated and having a relatively simple mechanical structure to reduce the number of components and manufacturing costs and to secure a large space for installing main components such as an engine and the like. Disclosed is a strut suspension system configured to absorb impact and vibrations transferred to a vehicle body from a road surface through a wheel. The strut suspension system includes a strut provided between the vehicle body and the wheel and to which a knuckle arm connecting a steering system of a vehicle to the wheel is connected to be relatively rotatable when the steering system performs steering and a stabilizer link having one end connected to a stabilizer bar configured to increase roll rigidity of the vehicle body and the other end coupled to prevent the strut from rotating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: CTR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Sun Min Seo
  • Patent number: 11851841
    Abstract: A construction machine comprises a lower traveling body, an upper turning body, and a turning frame that constitutes the bottom portion of the upper turning body. The turning frame comprises a bottom plate, a first vertical plate and a second vertical plate, and a coupling member that divides the space between the first vertical plate and the second vertical plate. The coupling member includes a top plate and a front and rear pair of a front side plate and a rear side plate that extend downward from both ends of the top plate in the front to rear direction, and forms a box shape structure with the first vertical plate and the second vertical plate. The box shape structure has a first opening formed in the first vertical plate, a second opening formed in the second vertical plate, and a front engine support part formed in the top plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: YANMAR POWER TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kiyoshi Yonekura, Keiichi Nishihara
  • Patent number: 11850931
    Abstract: Vehicle frames for battery powered electric vehicles are disclosed. An example apparatus disclosed herein includes a vehicle subframe including a first rail and a first rocker on a first side of the vehicle subframe, and a second rail and a second rocker on a second side of the vehicle subframe, the first side opposite the second side, a first diagonal member coupled between the first rail and the second side of the vehicle subframe, the first diagonal member to transfer a first longitudinal load from the first rail to the second side, and a second diagonal member coupled between the second rail and the first side of the vehicle subframe, the second diagonal member to transfer a second longitudinal load from the second rail to the first side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Saied Nusier, Ridha Baccouche, Saeed David Barbat, Leonard Anthony Shaner, Srinivasan Sundararajan, Rahul Arora
  • Patent number: 11851103
    Abstract: An independently driving wheel module includes: a base frame including an upper end fixed to a coupling surface of a vehicle body, and a rotation part coupled to the upper end of the base frame such that the rotation part is rotatable with respect to the upper end of the base frame; a connection link including a first end integrally coupled to the rotation part, and a second end having a shape extending downward from the first end of the connection link; a driving wheel disposed at a side of the second end of the connection link and coupled to the second end of the connection link; and a rotation plate including an upper and lower surfaces extending obliquely in misaligned directions, the rotation plate being interposed between the base frame and the vehicle body so as to be rotatable with respect to the base frame or the vehicle body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: HYUNDAI MOBIS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tae Heon Lee, Won Hyok Choi
  • Patent number: 11845372
    Abstract: A transport vehicle includes a pair of left and right vehicle body frames extending in a front and back direction; driving wheels disposed at a middle portion in the front and back direction of the pair of left and right vehicle body frames; auxiliary wheels disposed at a lower portion of an end portion in the front and back direction of each of the right and left vehicle body frames; lifter mechanisms disposed at an upper portion of an end portion in the front and back direction of each of the right and left vehicle body frames; a connection frame connecting upper portions of the right and left vehicle body frames to each other; and a lower frame disposable between the right and left vehicle body frames, the lower frame being removably fixed at lower portions of the right and left vehicle body frames.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: Murata Machinery, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomoki Odawara, Kotori Maki
  • Patent number: 11845503
    Abstract: A motor vehicle has a steering axle, a drive axle and a lift axle having an actuator for lifting and lowering the same. The wheels of the drive axle can be electrically driven, at least in a supporting manner, via an electric machine operable as an electric motor and as a generator, and the wheels can be driven in a generating manner in a recuperation operation. The electric machine is connected to an accumulator and to a control and/or regulation device to control the operation of the lift axle. The device is connected to sensors for wheel slip detection at the drive axle. The device is configured such that, during a recuperation operation, it can send a command to the actuator to lift the lift axle and thereby unload the wheels thereof, if there is wheel slip at least at one wheel of the drive axle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: ZF CV Systems Global GmbH
    Inventor: Marco Seeger
  • Patent number: 11840303
    Abstract: A self-propelled, one-wheeled vehicle includes a suspension system configured to dampen up-and-down motion of a board relative to the axle of a central wheel assembly when the vehicle encounters obstacles (e.g., bumps) on a riding surface. Illustrative suspension systems include a shock absorber and a swingarm that couple the axle to the board. The suspension system may be disposed completely below a foot deck of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: FUTURE MOTION, INC.
    Inventors: Kyle Jonathan Doerksen, Matthew Michael O'Brien
  • Patent number: 11840121
    Abstract: A suspension includes a housing, a radius arm, a radius arm bush, and a shock absorber. Inclination angles ?1 and ?2 satisfy ?F·tan ?2>M·tan ?1, in which: ?1 is an inclination angle at which a straight line coupling the center of the radius arm bush to the center of a rear wheel is inclined to a horizontal line, to lower toward the rear wheel, viewed from a side of the vehicle in a steady state; ?2 is an inclination angle at which an axis of expansion and shrink of the shock absorber is inclined to a vertical direction, to allow the shock absorber's upper end to more forward from the shock absorber's lower end; M is an unsprung mass of the suspension; and ?F is an amount of increase in a vertical load on the rear wheel from the steady state during a shrinkwise stroke of the shock absorber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomohiro Furuse, Koichi Uchikawa, Ryuma Mine
  • Patent number: 11840307
    Abstract: A damping mechanism and a vehicle are provided. The damping mechanism includes: a spindle; an elastic cushion assembly used to couple the spindle and the vehicle body; a coupling arm having a first end used to be fixedly coupled to an axle of the wheel and a second end pivotally coupled to the spindle; and a locking assembly provided between the coupling arm and the spindle and used to switch the coupling arm and the spindle between at least two locking states and a unlocking state. In the unlocking state, the coupling arm is rotatable, and in the locking states, the coupling arm is locked; in each of the locking states, the coupling arm is in different locking positions relative to the spindle; and when the coupling arm is in different locking positions, the coupling arm is at different angles to a horizontal plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: NINEBOT (CHANGZHOU) TECH CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ronghui Lv, Can Wang, Min Xia
  • Patent number: 11840308
    Abstract: A system for controlling tilting of two wheels of a vehicle, mechanically anchored to the chassis by a first and a second oscillating anchor arm is provided. The system has a first cylinder and a second cylinder suitable for being interposed between the chassis and the first and second oscillating anchor arms respectively. The first and second cylinders have respectively a first chamber and a second chamber with variable volume and containing a working fluid. Transfer of working fluid from the first to the second chamber results in an increase in the volume of the second chamber. Transfer of working fluid from the second to the first chamber results in an increase in the volume of the first chamber. A pipe connects the first and second chambers so that working fluid is alternately transferable from the first to the second chamber and from the second to the first chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: QOODER S.A.
    Inventor: Marco Moroni
  • Patent number: 11840195
    Abstract: The invention relates to a driveshaft lock (10) and to a method (50) of retrofitting the driveshaft lock to a vehicle. The driveshaft lock (10) includes a rotor (17) which defines a star-shaped central aperture (20) which is configured to receive a non-circular, peripheral profile of a drive flange (13) therethrough such that the rotor (17) is configured to piggyback on the drive flange (13). The lock (10) includes a locking member (21) which is configured selectively to engage the rotor (17) in order to lock the rotor in position and prevent angular displacement thereof. Amongst other steps, the method (50) includes aligning the aperture (20) of the rotor with the profile of the drive flange, passing the rotor over the drive flange, rotating the rotor relative to the drive flange, and securing the rotor to the drive flange for rotation together with the drive flange, piggyback-style.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: HARDCORE AUTOMOTIVE LOCKING TECHNOLOGIES (PTY) LTD
    Inventor: Philippus Petrus Erasmus Taljaard
  • Patent number: 11840141
    Abstract: A vehicle drive train assembly includes a propeller shaft and a nut. The nut has a first part and a second part. The first part is movable with respect to the propeller between an uninstalled position and an installed position of the nut. The second part is stationary with respect to the propeller shaft in the uninstalled position and the installed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: Nissan North America, Inc.
    Inventor: Rodrigo Javier Buendia Hernandez