Patents Examined by Roger L Pang
  • Patent number: 11703025
    Abstract: A method and system for controlling a stop rotation position of an engine is described. In one example, the system includes an integrated starter/generator that may be selectively coupled to the engine. The integrated starter/generator may rotate the engine in a first direction (e.g., reverse direction) or a second direction (e.g., a forward direction) in response to a position at which the engine stops rotating following cessation of combustion in the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Timothy Baxendale, Thomas Ciccone, Corey Blue
  • Patent number: 11702167
    Abstract: A human-powered vehicle control device controls the transmission to initiate a shifting operation based on a set of prescribed conditions that changes the transmission ratio of a human-powered vehicle. The control device includes an electronic controller that switches between a first control state for controlling the transmission to change the transmission ratio in accordance with a first prescribed set of conditions, and a second control state for controlling the transmission to prevent the change of the transmission ratio as compared with if the electronic controller is in the first control state. The electronic controller switches between the first control state and the second control state in accordance with a detection of at least one of a steering state of the human-powered vehicle, a surface condition of a travel path on which the human-powered vehicle travels, and a pedaling preparation state related to the pedals of the human-powered vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: Shimano Inc.
    Inventors: Satoshi Shahana, Nobukatsu Hara, Hitoshi Takayama
  • Patent number: 11701960
    Abstract: An actuator assembly for actuating two switching units in the driveline of a motor vehicle comprises a housing; an actuator drive; a switching rod arranged in the housing and axially movable by the actuator drive in three positions; a first switching element and a second switching element axially movably arranged on the switching rod; a spring element which biases the first switching element against a first shaft stop and the second switching element against a second shaft stop; a first housing stop against which the first switching element can be axially supported; and a second housing stop against which the second switching element can be axially supported. A transmission assembly can include such an actuator assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: GKN Automotive Limited
    Inventors: Theodor Gassmann, Maximilian Werkhausen, Jan Haupt
  • Patent number: 11697415
    Abstract: A vehicular breaking force control system that includes a control device including a processor that acquires a plurality of longitudinal accelerations from a driving assistance system, and calculates a driving/braking request when the vehicle is in a coasting state in which an acceleration operation or a deceleration operation are not performed during running of the vehicle. The processor further acquires a driving force lower limit set for a powertrain actuator having a set gear ratio, and distributes the driving/braking request to at least one of (i) a powertrain system including the powertrain actuator and (ii) a brake system including a brake actuator. The driving/braking request is distributed to the at least one of the powertrain system and the brake system based on the acquired driving force lower limit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masato Shimizu, Shun Sato, Katsumi Kono, Atsushi Ayabe, Noritake Mitsutani, Hiroki Nakano
  • Patent number: 11691629
    Abstract: A method for populating a controller for a motor vehicle with data includes providing a controller with a storage device, and generating a projected mathematical model of at least one section of a powertrain, including a transmission. The projected mathematical model describes the section of the powertrain with a gear ratio of 1 and is applicable to different transmissions. The projected mathematical model is stored in the storage device of the controller. A motor vehicle is also provided and operated accordingly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Jonas Mueller
  • Patent number: 11685257
    Abstract: A transmission arrangement for a vehicle includes an axial direction and a radial direction, a rotatable gear wheel having radially outer teeth for meshing engagement with a further gear member, and axially protruding engagement members, a first annular transmission member arranged next to the gear wheel and having corresponding axially protruding engagement members in torque transmission engagement with the engagement members of the gear wheel, and an annular groove provided in a radially facing surface, a second annular transmission member in torque transmission engagement with the first annular transmission member and having an annular groove provided in a radially facing surface and arranged radially overlapping with the annular groove of the first annular transmission member such that said annular grooves jointly define an annular space, and a locking member located within said annular space for axial locking of the first and second annular transmission members relative to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: NINGBO GEELY AUTOMOBILE RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT CO.
    Inventors: Shabbir Adil, Rafael Ferreira
  • Patent number: 11685471
    Abstract: A shifting system for a human-powered vehicle comprises a controller. The controller is configured to receive a driving torque and a cadence of the human-powered vehicle from at least one sensor. The controller is configured to determine a permitted shift timing based on the driving torque and the cadence. The controller is further configured to control a shift mechanism to perform a gear shift during the permitted shift timing in accordance with a permitted cadence range and a first threshold of the driving torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Shimano Inc.
    Inventors: Naoki Fujimoto, Takeshi Ueda, Tsuyoshi Fukumori
  • Patent number: 11685374
    Abstract: An inching system for a vehicle having a hydrostatic transmission and an engine that drives the transmission. The transmission has a pilot pressure port with a pressure of hydraulic fluid at the pilot pressure port controlling a level of power from the transmission, a beginning of draining of the hydraulic fluid from the pilot pressure port defining an inching starting point. The system includes a brake pedal and an electrohydraulic valve coupled to the pilot pressure port of the transmission, the valve being configured to drain the hydraulic fluid at the pilot pressure port. A sensor is coupled to the pedal to detect an input from the operator, the sensor producing a signal indicative of the input from the operator. A controller receives the signal and a speed of the engine. The controller controls the electrohydraulic valve dependent upon the signal and the engine speed so that the inching starting point is unchanged regardless of the speed of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC
    Inventors: Gianpiero Negri, Antonio Oddo, Alessandro Benevelli, Adriano Garramone, Mario Girardi, Giovanni Notarnicola, Andrea Gravili
  • Patent number: 11679661
    Abstract: The present invention provides a power split hybrid power system and a hybrid vehicle. The hybrid power system comprises two planetary gear mechanisms sharing planetary carriers and ring gears, two motors and one engine. An output shaft of the engine is in transmission connection with a first sun gear shaft of a first sun gear, an input/output shaft of a first motor is in transmission connection with a second sun gear shaft of a second sun gear, and an input/output shaft of a second motor is in transmission connection with the ring gears. The output shaft of the engine, the input/output shaft of the first motor and the input/output shaft of the second motor can be relatively fixed to a housing of a transmission through a braking mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG
    Inventors: Zhenye Lu, Mingxi Guan
  • Patent number: 11680638
    Abstract: The present invention provides a shift control method implemented in a vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission for controlling an input shaft rotation speed to a target input shaft rotation speed during a shift. The method includes setting of a basic target synchronization rotation speed that is a basic target value of the input shaft rotation speed during the shift, and setting of a corrected target input shaft rotation speed as the target input shaft rotation speed when the shift is a downshift without a requirement for a driving force of the vehicle, The corrected target input shaft rotation speed is obtained by decreasingly correcting the basic target synchronization rotation speed. Further, a decreasing correction amount of the basic target synchronization rotation speed is set so as to become larger as a deceleration of the vehicle becomes larger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroki Shimoyama, Munetoshi Ueno, Takefumi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11674565
    Abstract: A multi-speed transmission including a plurality of planetary gearsets and a plurality of selective couplers to achieve at least eight forward speed ratios is disclosed. The plurality of planetary gearsets may include a first planetary gearset, a second planetary gearset, a third planetary gearset, and a fourth planetary gearset. The plurality of selective couplers may include a number of clutches and a number of brakes. The multi-speed transmission may have four planetary gearsets and six selective couplers. The six selective couplers may include two clutches and four brakes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: Allison Transmission, Inc.
    Inventors: Nayan Patel, Jerry Suiter, Conrad Rockey
  • Patent number: 11667183
    Abstract: A drive system for a hybrid motor vehicle with a motor shaft rotationally coupled to the output shaft of an internal combustion engine, a first and second electric motors with respective first and second rotor shafts arranged in a radially offset manner to each other, a drive part rotationally connected to the second rotor shaft and which can be rotationally connected to at least one wheel, and a transmission unit operatively installed between the motor shaft, the two rotor shafts, and the drive part. A shift device controls the shift position of the transmission unit such that the shift device rotationally connects the motor shaft to the first rotor shaft while the second rotor shaft is decoupled in a first shift position, the shift device rotationally connects the motor shaft both to the first and second rotor shafts in a second shift position, and the shift device rotationally connects the two rotor shafts together while the motor shaft is decoupled in a third shift position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG
    Inventors: Marcus Hoppe, Torsten Pieper
  • Patent number: 11667274
    Abstract: A control apparatus for a vehicle that includes an engine, an electric motor, a clutch for separating connection between the engine and the electric motor, and a fluid-type transmission device including a lockup clutch and transmitting drive powers of the engine and the electric motor to drive wheels. The control apparatus includes (a) a portion configured, during motor running of the vehicle with the clutch being released, to calculate a predicted value of a rotational speed of the electric motor, depending on an operation state of the lockup clutch; (b) a portion configured to calculate a predicted value of an outputtable maximum torque of the electric motor, by using the predicted value of the rotational speed of the electric motor; (c) a portion configured to determine whether start of the engine is requested or not, by using the predicted value of the outputtable maximum torque of the electric motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akihito Hayasaka, Nobufusa Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 11654882
    Abstract: A device for controlling driving of an electric four-wheel drive vehicle at the time of shift is provided. The device controls driving of an electric four-wheel drive vehicle to minimize energy loss occurring on a power transmission path during shift, thereby improving fuel efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Corporation
    Inventor: Jee Wook Huh
  • Patent number: 11648837
    Abstract: An axle assembly having an electric motor module, a drive pinion, and at least one rotor bearing assembly. The electric motor module may have a rotor. The rotor and the drive pinion may be rotatable about a first axis. The first rotor bearing assembly may extend between the drive pinion and the rotor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: ArvinMeritor Technology, LLC
    Inventor: Tomaz Varela
  • Patent number: 11648931
    Abstract: A vehicle running mode control method may include detecting, by a mode controller, a mode switching from an electric vehicle mode (EV mode) to a hybrid electric vehicle mode (HEV mode) while a vehicle runs; and performing a continuously variable transmission (CVT) cooperative mode switching control in which a drive motor is connected to an engine by engaging a clutch by operating the CVT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Oh-Eun Kwon, Sun-Young Park
  • Patent number: 11644097
    Abstract: A vehicle includes an engine, a torque converter, a transmission, and a control device. The torque converter is coupled to the engine. The transmission is coupled to the torque converter. The control device is configured to control operation of the transmission. The control device includes a controller configured to perform shift hold control to prevent upshift of the transmission based on a lateral acceleration value of the vehicle. The controller is configured to permit the upshift of the transmission by only one gear shift stage in a case where a predetermined condition is met in the shift hold control. The predetermined condition includes a condition that an index value indicating a rotation speed of an output shaft of the torque converter be higher than a first threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shuntaro Miura, Kenji Inoue, Akihiro Kawakami, Takahiro Okada
  • Patent number: 11643081
    Abstract: Systems and control methods can provide for determining a TrnAin torque request from desired vehicle acceleration in a vehicle that utilizes a WTC architecture to allow for smooth transition between different transmission states, such as torque converter bypass clutch states and shifts between transmission gear ratios. The methods provide consistent and smooth vehicle acceleration profile during transmission state transitions. The methods also provide the ability to track the desired vehicle acceleration consistently from virtual driver demand sources, such as adaptive cruise control, autonomous vehicle, or remote parking, without allocating any additional resource to account for transmission state transitions. The proposed methods are applicable to any TC-based automatic transmission drivetrain, such as conventional powertrain, MHT, P4 HEV, or even BEV powertrains where the motor is located on the impeller side of a torque converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Maruthi Thiruninravur Ravichandran, Judhajit Roy, Jason Meyer, Rajit Johri
  • Patent number: 11642957
    Abstract: A hybrid drive includes a control unit, an internal combustion engine, an electrical machine and a dual clutch transmission having an output shaft. The dual clutch transmission includes a first sub-transmission and a second sub-transmission, each couplable to the output shaft. A drive shaft of the internal combustion engine is couplable to a first input shaft of the first sub-transmission via a first clutch and to a second input shaft of the second sub-transmission via a second clutch. The control unit is configured to permit the second clutch to be closed even when the hybrid drive is being operated purely electrically so that the driveshaft of the internal combustion engine is driven by the electrical machine. A control unit and a method for operation of a hybrid drive are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Michael Etzel, Michael Friedrich, Sebastian Liebert
  • Patent number: 11639094
    Abstract: A hybrid drivetrain is provided. The hybrid drivetrain comprises a power source, a transmission, and a tandem axle assembly. The transmission includes a primary clutch and is drivingly engaged with the power source. The tandem axle assembly includes a first axle and a second axle and is drivingly engaged with the transmission. One of the transmission and the tandem axle assembly includes a first motor generator in electrical communication with a battery. The first motor generator and the primary clutch facilitate operating the hybrid drivetrain as a hybrid drivetrain in a plurality of operating modes. The hybrid drivetrain may further comprise second and third motor generators in electrical communication with the battery to facilitate operating the hybrid drivetrain in a plurality of operating modes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: Dana Heavy Vehicle Systems Group, LLC
    Inventors: Raymond J. Haka, Krishna Kumar, Steven J. Wesolowski, James F. Ziech