Patents Examined by Ramya Burgess
  • Patent number: 9822828
    Abstract: An improved expanding friction disk for use in a clutch of a power transmission system. The improved expanding friction disk accommodates multiple clutch pack configurations including clutch packs utilizing novel improved friction disks, is compatible with wear liners and operates with reduced friction including a reduced difference between the static and dynamic coefficients of friction in the ramp mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: Rekluse Motor Sports, Inc.
    Inventors: Albert James Youngwerth, Sean G. Brown, Karl E. Jensen, Logan P. Krueger
  • Patent number: 9816592
    Abstract: Devices and methods for operating a linear actuator, optionally for use in controlling a choke valve as part of a managed pressure drilling operation. Such a device may include a motor, a transmission, a linear actuator and an override mechanism selectively engageable with the transmission to enable operation of the linear actuator independently of the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Tol-O-Matic, Inc.
    Inventors: Igor Glikin, Ryan T. Klemetson, Gary W. Rosengren
  • Patent number: 9816588
    Abstract: The present invention is a mechanical power transmission system without the use of a clutch. The system comprises of input planetary gear systems, output planetary gear systems, a stabilizing structure disposed between the input planetary gear systems and output planetary gear systems, and connecting shafts which transfer the mechanical power between the input planetary gears within the input planetary gear systems and the output planetary gears within the output planetary gear systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Inventor: Wei Guo Ong
  • Patent number: 9810306
    Abstract: In a differential device, paired side gears include shaft portions and intermediate wall portions formed in a flat plate shape intersecting an axis of the output shafts, the intermediate wall portions integrally connecting the shaft portions to toothing portions of the side gears separated outward from the shaft portions in a radial direction of an input member, respectively. Each of the intermediate wall portions is formed with a width in the radial direction which is longer than a maximum diameter of a pinion. A cover portion includes a boss portion and a side wall portion connected to the boss portion and having an outer side surface as a surface orthogonal to the axis of the output shafts. A back surface of at least one of the intermediate wall portion and the toothing portion is supported on an inner side surface of the side wall portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: Musashi Seimitsu Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoya Nishimura, Hiroyuki Mori
  • Patent number: 9810304
    Abstract: A torque converter, including: a cover; an impeller including an impeller blade, and an impeller shell with a first surface extending beyond the impeller blade in a radial direction and at an acute angle with respect to a first line in the radial direction; a turbine including a turbine blade, and a turbine shell with a second surface axially aligned with the first surface and at the acute angle with respect to the first line; a turbine clutch including the first and second surfaces and friction material disposed between the first and second surfaces; a torus at least partially enclosed by the impeller and turbine shells; and a pressure chamber at least partially formed by the turbine shell and the cover. For torque converter mode, the turbine and the impeller are independently rotatably with respect to each other. For lock-up mode, the first and second surfaces are non-rotatably connected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG
    Inventors: Patrick M. Lindemann, Matthew Payne
  • Patent number: 9803699
    Abstract: A slip clutch assembly includes a clutch carrier, a one-way clutch assembly, and a preloaded clutch assembly. The one-way clutch assembly has a portion fixed to the clutch carrier. The preloaded clutch assembly has a first clutch plate, a second clutch plate, and a resilient element. The first clutch plate is drivingly engaged with the carrier. The second clutch plate is arranged for driving engagement with a first portion of a transmission. The resilient element is for compressing the first and second clutch plates. In some example embodiments, the one-way clutch assembly has an outer race, an inner race, and a plurality of blocking elements. The outer race is fixed to the clutch carrier. The inner race is arranged to engage a second portion of the transmission. The blocking elements are selected from the group of rollers or sprags for selectively locking the outer race to the inner race and are disposed radially between the outer race and inner race.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG
    Inventor: Todd Sturgin
  • Patent number: 9797503
    Abstract: A differential is disclosed for use with a drivetrain of a mobile machine. The differential may have an input gear, a first side gear, a second side gear, and a side pinion disposed between and intermeshed with the first and second side gears. The differential may also have a carrier connected to the input gear and surrounding the first side gear, the second side gear, and the side pinion. The carrier may have a first orifice located in an annular wall at a base end of the side pinion, and a second orifice located in an axial wall. All lubrication passing through the first orifice may flow around an external surface of the side pinion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Omar Jose Adragna, David Owen Thompson
  • Patent number: 9791030
    Abstract: A circuit for controlling hydraulic pressure of a torque converter that includes an engagement hydraulic pressure chamber independently installed in a fluid operation chamber enclosed by a front cover and an impeller and having engagement hydraulic pressure supplied to engage a lock-up clutch may include a torque converter control valve stably decreasing line pressure and supplying the decreased line pressure as operation hydraulic pressure of the torque converter, a torque converter pressure control valve controlled by a linear solenoid valve to control D range pressure and supply the controlled D range pressure to the engagement hydraulic pressure chamber, and a lock-up switch valve controlled by the linear solenoid valve to supply the hydraulic pressure supplied from the torque converter control valve as control pressure of the torque converter pressure control valve and supply exhaust hydraulic pressure of the torque converter as control pressure of the torque converter control valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventors: Hyunjun Son, Joohang Lee, Sunghoon Park
  • Patent number: 9791010
    Abstract: A stepless speed variation transmission drive unit, in particular for industrial, agricultural or railway machinery, comprises at least a first input pinion (10), at least a first hydraulic motor (12) connected to said first input pinion (10), an output shaft (30), and at least a second hydraulic motor (22, 23). The first hydraulic motor (12) is connectable and disconnectable to/from said output shaft (30) by means of a clutch (50), while the second hydraulic motor (22, 23) is adapted to transmit the movement directly to the output shaft (30). The transmission drive unit further comprises a brake device (70) adapted to block the rotation of the first hydraulic motor (12) when said first hydraulic motor (12) is disconnected from the output shaft (30).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: OMSI TRASMISSIONI S.P.A.
    Inventor: Renato Soncina
  • Patent number: 9790738
    Abstract: The present invention relates to the sunshade driving device comprising that: a returning function of a manual driving module (410) is actuated by a ball chain or a rotating string; a rotating shaft (491) is attachable/detachable to the power drive unit or the rotating shaft stopping unit separated from a manual driving module; at least one pick-up member (452, 453) to directly drive the sunshade rotating shaft or driving the rotating shaft (491) by the manual drive module (410); a wheel driving member (417) having a manual pulley (417a) or a manual driving wheel (412b) being fitted the ball chain or rotating string; wherein the wheel drive member (417) will be engaged to the manual rotating wheel (412b) and the manual pulley (417a) for rotating together in one direction, and the wheel driving member (417) will disengaged the manual rotating wheel (412b) and the manual pulley (417a) for independently rotating each other in opposite direction activated by a bi-directional driving clutch (417b).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Inventors: Taerok Jung, Jaeheun Jung
  • Patent number: 9783365
    Abstract: Provided is a driving force transmission device including: an actuator (22) that, in a case where one of a first annular gear (11), a second annular gear (14), and a carrier (16) is an input member, another one is an output member, and the remaining one is a rotational member, causes one of the input member and the output member to rotate integrally with the rotational member. When driving force is inputted from the drive source to the input member and input member is rotated unidirectionally, the rotation direction of the output member in the case where one of the input member and the output member rotates integrally with the rotational member is reversed with respect to that in a case where one of the input member and the output member does not rotate integrally with the rotational member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takuji Uesugi, Yuji Nakayashiki, Taku Fukita, Akira Kuroda, Masao Umezawa, Yoshihiro Matsuo
  • Patent number: 9777830
    Abstract: A power transmission device that is mounted on a vehicle and provided with a transmission having a plurality of engagement elements for transmitting power from a motor to an axle, a case that accommodates the transmission, and a hydraulic control device that controls hydraulic pressure to the plurality of engagement elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: AISIN AW CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kenichi Tsuchida, Yoshimitsu Hyodo, Yuhei Yoshioka, Nobuhiko Miyamoto, Mitsuhiro Hasama
  • Patent number: 9777829
    Abstract: An enhanced control system for an electronic automatic transmission enables the transmission to operate in a full neutral idle, a reverse lock-out, and an inching mode. These functions improve the mileage and durability of the operation of the transmission. They also enable the inching mode for use especially in industrial applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: Powertrain Control Solutions, LLC
    Inventor: Charles R. Turner
  • Patent number: 9772026
    Abstract: A differential is provided. The differential includes a housing that has a sump, an input shaft, a ring gear, a carrier that is affixed to the ring gear, and a diverter. The sump is configured to collect lubricating fluid. The ring gear is configured to transfer lubricating fluid out of the sump. The diverter is configured to direct the lubricating fluid to the input shaft and carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Mathew John Fast, Danrich Henry Demitroff, Sunil Katragadda, Lawrence Marshall, W. Cary Cole, Michael Levin, Furqan Zafar Shaikh
  • Patent number: 9764630
    Abstract: A hybrid drive of a motor vehicle has an internal combustion engine, an electric machine, an automated manual transmission with an input shaft and an output shaft, and a phase shifter gearbox in a planetary design with two input elements and one output element. A first input element of the gearbox is connected to a hollow shaft arranged in a coaxial manner around the output shaft, which is connectable to an idler gear of an axially adjacent spur gear stage of the manual transmission, and, for bypassing the gearbox, is connectable to the second input element or the output element of the gearbox. The second input element of the gearbox is permanently in drive connection with a rotor of the electric machine, and the output element of the gearbox is connected in a torque-proof manner to the output shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: ZF Frierichshafen AG
    Inventors: Johannes Kaltenbach, Michael Roske, Uwe Griesmeier
  • Patent number: 9765870
    Abstract: An electric actuator for use with a drive apparatus is disclosed herein. An electric motor drives a reduction gear train to position a control shaft, the reduction gear train having a worm drive that motivates a spur gear reduction. A slip clutch is disposed between the worm drive and spur gear reduction to protect the components of the reduction gear train, and to also place a limit on the torque applied to the control shaft. The housing of the electric actuator features a motor chamber to accommodate the electric motor and is sealed by a cap having an electric connector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: Hydro-Gear Limited Partnership
    Inventors: Ivan E. Fox, Austin J. Templin, Jesse L. Probst
  • Patent number: 9764631
    Abstract: A power transmission system of a hybrid electric vehicle which uses an engine and first and second motor/generators as power sources may include an input device having a first input shaft receiving either or both of torques of the engine and the first motor/generator and provided with a first driving gear disposed thereon, and a second input shaft disposed in parallel with the first input shaft, receiving a torque of the second motor/generator, and provided with a second driving gear disposed thereon, an output device including an output shaft provided with one driven gear engaged with the first driving gear, a second driven gear engaged with the second driving gear, and an output gear disposed thereon, and outputting torque transmitted from the input device, and a final reduction device outputting torque transmitted from the output device as driving torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventor: Wan Soo Kim
  • Patent number: 9759272
    Abstract: A clutch is provided with a drive-side rotational body and a driven-side rotational body, which can move in the axial direction between a coupled position and a decoupled position. The driven-side rotational body has a groove having a helical portion and an annular portion that is deeper than the helical portion. The driven-side rotational body is urged toward the coupled position by an urging member. The driven-side rotational body is moved to the decoupled position against the urging force of the urging member by insertion of a pin into the helical portion. A projection is provided on the tip of the pin, and a recessed groove for accommodating the projection when the pin is inserted into the helical portion is provided in the bottom surface of the helical portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hirotaka Sunada, Masao Nakayama, Hideki Tsutsui, Shintaro Nakano, Daisuke Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 9758149
    Abstract: A vehicle includes an engine, an electric machine, an engine disconnect clutch, and a transmission input configured to transmit power from the engine and electric machine to a transmission. The vehicle also includes a controller program to close the disconnect clutch and start the engine before downshifting in response to an anticipated transmission downshift in which a predicted speed of the transmission input after the downshift will be outside a predetermined speed range or a torque capacity of the electric machine will be less than a predicted required torque after the downshift.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Jeffrey Allen Doering, Xiaoyong Wang, Felix Nedorezov, Chen Zhang, Todd McCullough, Rajit Johri
  • Patent number: 9759274
    Abstract: An accessory drive tuning device with a torsion spring for angular vibration isolation and having a spring pocket that frictionally engages the end of the torsion spring. The engagement may be with a wedge-shape on either the spring end or the pocket or both, adapted so that the spring end wedges into the pocket. The engagement may be by interference fit. One or both ends of the spring may be engaged in respective pockets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: Gates Corporation
    Inventors: Peter Ward, Joe Chen, John Harvey, Keming Liu