Patents Examined by Thomas E. Lazo
  • Patent number: 11788621
    Abstract: A piston assembly that includes a pair of piston members that are formed of compacted powdered metal. The piston members have sets of locking features that include alternating projections and recesses that are spaced circumferentially about and intersect a rod aperture that extends through the piston member. Each projection is formed along a projection axis, which extends radially from a center axis along which the rod aperture is formed, and has a pair of opposite side walls and an end wall that connects the side walls to one another on a side of the projection that is opposite the rod aperture. The recesses on each piston member are configured to matingly and frictionally receive the projections on the other piston member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: American Axle & Manufacturing, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael J. Vandervort, Raymond J. Clark, Jr., Joshua J. Shelander
  • Patent number: 11788560
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a hydraulic control block for controlling a pressure medium supply of a hydraulic cylinder of a hydraulic spindle. The hydraulic control block includes a generic hydraulic switching structure electively configurable in each of a plurality of specific hydraulic switching structures, each of the plurality of specific hydraulic switching structures having a respective hydraulic cylinder with a number of piston areas which differs from a number of piston areas in the respective hydraulic cylinders of each of the other of the plurality of specific hydraulic switching structures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Manuel Rumpel, Johannes Schwacke
  • Patent number: 11781570
    Abstract: A pneumatic remote actuating device includes an actuator block, an actuated block and a tube connecting the actuator block to the actuated block. The actuator block includes an enclosure that can be mounted on a generally flat surface. A pushbutton protrudes in front of the actuator block. Depressing the pushbutton causes an increase of pressure within an internal chamber of the enclosure. This pressure is transmitted from the actuator block, via the tube, to the actuated block. The actuated block comprises its own enclosure that can be mounted on a generally flat surface to place the actuated block in an overlapping position over an external pushbutton. The pressure transmitted from the actuator block to the actuated block causes a displacement of a pusher mounted in the enclosure of the actuated block. As a result, the pusher actuates the external pushbutton.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: ERDAN INC.
    Inventors: Steeve Michaud, Benoit Langlois, Rene Bosa, Jacky Lessard, Carl Sylvain
  • Patent number: 11781569
    Abstract: A bellows accumulator, consisting of at least two housing parts (4, 6) which form an accumulator housing (2), and having a separating bellows (20), which is movably arranged in the accumulator housing (2) and separates two media spaces (8, 22) from each other and is at least on its one free end fixed to a securing device (24) in the accumulator housing (2), wherein said securing device (24) is welded to the adjacently arranged housing parts (4, 6), is characterized in that the adjacently arranged housing parts (4, 6) comprise at least in part titanium materials, in that the securing device (24) consists of at least two interconnected components (26, 30), at least one (26) of which comprises at least in part titanium materials and is welded to the adjacently arranged housing parts (4, 6), and in that the respective other component (30), consisting of a different metal material, is used for securing the separating bellows (20) to the securing device (24).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: HYDAC TECHNOLOGY GMBH
    Inventors: Herbert Baltes, Peter Kloft
  • Patent number: 11779501
    Abstract: An embodiment of the present disclosure a dental chair a chair assembly configured to support a patient. The dental chair also includes a traverse motion assembly coupled to the chair assembly that move the chair assembly in a forward-backward direction. The dental chair also includes a sensor assembly having a rod rotatably fixed to the traverse motion assembly. The rod defines a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and a rod cross-sectional shape. The dental chair also includes a sensor assembly is configured to obtain data indicative a distance of linear movement of the chair assembly along the forward-backward direction between.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: Engle Dental Systems, LLC
    Inventor: David Maynard
  • Patent number: 11773882
    Abstract: The hydraulic system according to the invention comprises a hydraulic circuit with a low-pressure region and a high-pressure region; a volume- and/or speed-variable hydraulic machine, which is driven by a first electric motor and has an inlet and an outlet and provides a volume flow of a hydraulic fluid in the high-pressure region of the hydraulic circuit. The hydraulic system according to the invention further comprises at least one movable shaft, which is arranged in the high-pressure region of the hydraulic circuit; at least one valve, which separates the high-pressure region from the low-pressure region; and at least one hydraulic fluid container, which is hydraulically connected to the low-pressure region of the hydraulic circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Moog GmbH
    Inventors: Werner Handle, Achim Helbig
  • Patent number: 11773842
    Abstract: A piston includes a piston cap and a piston rod with the piston cap being removable from the piston rod body. The piston cap includes a cap body and a socket extending into the cap body. A mounting portion of the piston rod body extends into the socket of the cap body to connect the piston rod body to the piston cap. A wear sleeve is mounted on the piston rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Graco Minnesota Inc.
    Inventors: Jeromy D. Horning, Steve J. Wrobel
  • Patent number: 11767898
    Abstract: A valve mechanism includes: a cylindrical body; a plurality of valve bodies; and a drive valve. The drive valve includes a shaft portion having a flow path penetrating in the axial direction, and a first step portion extending from an outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion to a radial outside of the shaft portion. The shaft portion has a protrusion portion protruding further toward the cylindrical body side than the first step portion and a base portion extending to a side opposite to the protrusion portion with respect to the first step portion. A gap between the valve bodies is changed by elastically deforming an inner peripheral portion of the valve body, which comes into contact with the drive valve moved in a direction approaching the valve body, in a direction approaching the cylindrical body with respect to an outer peripheral portion of the valve body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: HITACHI ASTEMO, LTD.
    Inventors: Yosuke Fujikawa, Yosuke Murakami
  • Patent number: 11767830
    Abstract: A hydraulic system has two hydraulic circuits, each with a pressure generating unit acting on an actuator unit. The generating units are slot-controlled radial piston pumps and form a pump assembly with a single common pump support and single common rotor. The rotor is rotatable on a free protruding section of a common support hub and has piston-receiving bores on axially offset planes. The hub has two first and two second fluid bores. The first bores communicate with first pump connections and first control openings on the hub on a first plane, and the second fluid bores communicate with second pump connections and second control openings on the hub on a second plane. A first and a second adjustment frame, each having an eccentric ring and acting on the pump pistons, are disposed on respective planes perpendicular to the main axis and independently guided in a linearly movable manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: HAWE Altenstadt Holding GmbH
    Inventors: Martin Storz, Albert Schmid, Gerhard Huber
  • Patent number: 11761463
    Abstract: Provided is a fluid actuator capable of safely driving a drive target. An air actuator using air as a working fluid includes an X-axis pressure sensor that measures air pressures PX+ and PX? along one drive axis, which drives a drive target in an X direction, a Y-axis pressure sensor that measures air pressures PY1+, PY1?, PY2+, and PY2? along two drive axes, which drive the drive target in a Y direction, and an acceleration detection unit that detects translational acceleration and rotational acceleration generated in the drive target on the basis of the measured air pressures PX+, PX?, PY1+, PY1?, PY2+, and PY2?.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: SUMITOMO HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Marino Watanabe, Akira Kondo, Shinya Hamada
  • Patent number: 11761175
    Abstract: A hydraulic system includes: a slewing motor; a mechanical brake; and a slewing control valve interposed between a main pump and the slewing motor. A first pilot port of the slewing control valve is connected to a first solenoid proportional valve by a pilot line. A second pilot port of the slewing control valve is connected to a second solenoid proportional valve by a second pilot line. The first solenoid proportional valve and the second solenoid proportional valve are connected to an auxiliary pump by a primary pressure line. A switching valve is interposed between the auxiliary pump and the mechanical brake. The switching valve includes a pilot port that is connected to the first pilot line by a switching pilot line. The valve switches from a closed to an open position when a pilot pressure led to the pilot port becomes higher than or equal to a setting value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akihiro Kondo, Naoki Hata, Nobuyuki Kinoshita
  • Patent number: 11753798
    Abstract: In a hydraulic system for a working machine, a controller is configured or programmed to increase an output-port pressure of one activation valve for one hydraulic device and an output-port pressure of another activation valve for another hydraulic device to a normal pressure higher than a preloading pressure from a state where the output-port pressure of the one activation valve is equal to the preloading pressure and the output-port pressure of the other activation valve is lower than the preloading pressure, by causing the output-port pressure of the one activation valve to be lower than the preloading pressure and increasing the output-port pressure of the other activation valve to the normal pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: KUBOTA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuji Fukuda, Ryota Hamamoto, Jun Tomita, Yuya Konishi
  • Patent number: 11753801
    Abstract: A hydraulic drive system raises and lowers an object by supplying and discharging operating oil to and from each of two ports of an actuator and includes a control device, first to third electromagnetic proportional control valves, a hydraulic pump, a control valve, and a lock valve. When a second pilot pressure is output, the control valve causes the operating oil to be discharged from a first port in order to lower the object. The lock valve is disposed so as to be able to prevent the operating oil from being discharged from the first port by closing a path between the first port and the control valve, and only when a third pilot pressure is output, allows the operating oil to be discharged from the first port by opening the path between the first port and the control valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akihiro Kondo, Kazuya Iwabe
  • Patent number: 11753799
    Abstract: Provided is a work vehicle which can prevent an engine from stalling regardless of type of a system mounted on a vehicle body. In a wheel loader 1 equipped with a loading work device 11 operated by an electric operation lever 19, first and second directional control valves 5, 6 include neutral positions 5N, 6N for causing hydraulic oil discharged from a hydraulic pump 12 to return to a hydraulic oil tank 10, respectively, and in the case where a discharge pressure P of the hydraulic pump 12 is a main relief pressure Pr or more and an engine rotational speed N is less than a low idle rotational speed NL, a controller 2, 2A restricts the output of control signals to first and second solenoid control valves 3, 4 so as to cause the first and second directional control valves 5, 6 to be switched to the neutral positions 5N, 6N, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: HITACHI CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasunori Miyamoto, Tetsuji Tanaka
  • Patent number: 11746803
    Abstract: A hydraulic system for a cyclically operating shaping machine includes at least one hydraulic drive unit for cyclically driving a component of the shaping machine at a start time; at least one pump; and at least one hydraulic accumulator which can be discharged for driving the at least one hydraulic drive unit and which can be charged up by operation of the at least one pump. An open-loop or closed-loop control unit is also provided for control of the at least one pump. The open-loop or closed-loop control unit is adapted to operate the at least one pump continuously until the start time of the at least one hydraulic drive unit to charge up the at least one hydraulic accumulator until the start time of the hydraulic drive unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: ENGEL AUSTRIA GMBH
    Inventors: Stephan Bauernfeind, Pascal Bader, Martin Berger, Klaus Hubert Gattringer
  • Patent number: 11732733
    Abstract: An electric-powered fail-safe actuator for use with a valve, where the actuator stores potential energy for conversion to kinetic energy to close or open the valve to the fail-safe position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Inventors: Robert Connal, Scott Frash
  • Patent number: 11731081
    Abstract: A fluid power circuit with a switch-mode power transformer used to transfer power while keeping the pressure of power source and reverse osmosis processes relatively decoupled. The switch-mode power transformer uses the inertia of a hydraulic motor driven electric generator and switching of a hydraulic motor inlet between high and low-pressure ends to decrease the pressure at which power is being transmitted to a reverse osmosis process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: Regents of the University of Minnesota
    Inventors: Jeremy W. Simmons, II, James D. Van de Ven
  • Patent number: 11732558
    Abstract: A downhole tool includes a body having a rounded or cylindrical surface, at least one relieved space in the rounded or cylindrical surface, and a protuberance within the relieved space. The downhole tool also has a generally cylindrical retaining ring that surrounds a portion of the body. One or more crimple detents are formed in the retaining ring, each crimple detent comprising a portion of the retaining ring that has been deformed radially inward into an underlying portion of the relieved space such that the deformed material of the retaining ring contacts and deforms an underlying portion of the protuberance in the relieved space, thereby joining the retaining ring to the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: FLOWCO PRODUCTION SOLUTIONS, LLC
    Inventors: Garrett S. Boyd, Mitchell A. Boyd
  • Patent number: 11732735
    Abstract: A soft actuator includes an inflation chamber. The inflation chamber has a first end and a second end opposite the first end. The inflation chamber is inflatable during an inflation stage, in which the second end rotates toward the first end about a folding axis, and is operable to be loaded during an inflated stage, in which the inflation chamber is inflated. The soft actuator also includes a variable-stiffness hinge located between the first end and the second end along the folding axis. The variable-stiffness hinge has a decreased stiffness in the inflation stage and an increased stiffness in the inflated stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Yuyang Song, Ryohei Tsuruta, Umesh N. Gandhi
  • Patent number: 11732442
    Abstract: A method for controlling the operation of a work vehicle includes initially controlling an operation of an implement actuator of the vehicle based on operator inputs received from an input device while a load sensing system of the vehicle is operable to adjust an output of an associated pump. The method also includes receiving an input providing an indication that an implement-based movement operation is to be performed and deactivating the load sensing system in response to the indication that the implement-based movement operation is to be performed. In addition, the method includes controlling the operation of the implement actuator based on further operator inputs received from the input device to perform the implement-based movement operation while the load sensing system is deactivated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC
    Inventors: Duqiang Wu, Navneet Gulati