Patents Examined by Thomas Irvin
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Patent number: 9890828Abstract: Generally described, aspects of the disclosed subject matter are directed to through-shaft dampers. In accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, the through-shaft dampers generally include a shaft having a piston traveling within a body, a first chamber for a damping fluid, and a second chamber for a gas. The chambers are separated by a movable wall associated with an insert and configured to provide a volumetric change of the second chamber that is inverse to a volumetric change of the damping fluid. The insert is configured such that the sealing surfaces of the movable wall do not interface the shaft during use of the damper. In this regard, a significant reduction in the total displacement traveled by the seals is realized.Type: GrantFiled: October 28, 2016Date of Patent: February 13, 2018Assignee: TeraFlex, Inc.Inventor: Christopher Paul Cox
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Patent number: 9879739Abstract: A brake system comprising: (a) a body assembly comprising: (i) an outboard side, (ii) an inboard side, (iii) a bridge extending between and connecting the inboard side and the outboard side, and (iv) two or more piston assemblies located entirely on the outboard side, entirely on the inboard side, or located both on the inboard side and the outboard side; and (b) an electric brake assembly comprising: (i) one or more differential assemblies in communication with the body assembly and each of the two or more piston assemblies; wherein the one or more differential assemblies provide power equally to each of the two or more piston assemblies so that each of the piston assemblies are moved axially in unison until a resistance of one of the two or more piston assemblies becomes higher than a remainder of the two or more piston assemblies and the one or more differential assemblies transfer power from the piston assembly with the higher resistance to the remainder of piston assemblies with a lower resistance so thaType: GrantFiled: April 28, 2016Date of Patent: January 30, 2018Assignee: AKEBONO BRAKE INDUSTRY CO., LTDInventors: Kenneth Eric Gutelius, Galus Chelaidite
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Patent number: 9879745Abstract: An air spring includes a cover, a base element and a flexible bellows clamped in a pressure-tight fashion between the cover and base element. A level-measuring device, integrated at least partially into the bellows, detects the height of the air spring.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2015Date of Patent: January 30, 2018Assignee: KNORR-BREMSE Systeme fuer Nutzfahrzeuge GmbHInventor: Stefan Prams
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Patent number: 9874262Abstract: The invention relates to a protective device for a shock absorber, in particular a commercial vehicle shock absorber, comprising a first base area and a second base area, wherein the first base area and the second base area are connected to one another in such a way that via a swivel axis they can be swiveled in relation to one another between an assembly state and an operating state, and wherein the first base area and the second base area in the operating state substantially form a hollow cylindrical shape.Type: GrantFiled: March 16, 2015Date of Patent: January 23, 2018Assignee: SAF-HOLLAND GmbHInventor: Thomas Schimetka
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Patent number: 9869357Abstract: A brake carrier for an air-actuated disc brake. The brake carrier may have first and second carrier portions that may include a mounting arrangement and a recess. The recess may define a circumferential abutment surface for restraining motion of a brake pad in a circumferential direction and a radial abutment surface for restraining motion of the brake pad in a radially inward direction.Type: GrantFiled: January 27, 2016Date of Patent: January 16, 2018Assignee: Meritor Heavy Vehicle Braking Systems (UK) LimitedInventors: Dietmar Knoop, Paul Thomas
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Patent number: 9868331Abstract: A shock absorber includes: a damping valve that suppresses a flow of operating fluid due to the sliding of a piston to generate damping force; a bottomed tubular pilot case that forms a pilot chamber that causes pressure to act on the damping valve in a valve closing direction, together with the damping valve; and an annular seal member (146) that is provided to be fixed to the outer circumferential side of a rear surface of the damping valve, and is fitted into a tube of the pilot case so as to be slidable and to be in a liquid tight manner. A part of the flow of the operating fluid is guided to the pilot chamber and opening of the damping valve is suppressed by the pressure of the pilot chamber. An annular concave portion (380) is formed on the outer circumferential side of the seal member (146), and an annular convex portion (385) is formed on the inner circumferential side of the seal member (146).Type: GrantFiled: November 21, 2014Date of Patent: January 16, 2018Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.Inventor: Mikio Yamashita
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Patent number: 9862362Abstract: One embodiment provides a vehicle disc brake including: a caliper body; a caliper bracket having a pair of caliper support arms; a pair of friction pads; and a pad return spring. Each caliper support arm has a pair of pad guide grooves, and a pair of lug pieces extending from the friction pad are supported movably therein. An outer surface of each lug piece is stepped such that a projecting length on a radially outer side is shorter than a projecting length on a radially inner side, thereby defining a space portion between the lug piece and the pad guide groove. A first imaginary line, which is defined to pass a gravity center of the friction pad and to intersect perpendicularly a center line connecting a center of a disc rotor and a center of a piston, passes the space.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2015Date of Patent: January 9, 2018Assignee: NISSIN KOGYO CO., LTD.Inventors: Shinobu Kaneko, Shinichi Kihara, Masakazu Hirabayashi, Michio Takahashi
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Patent number: 9862368Abstract: A system for retarding the speed of a railcar comprises a brake; a hydraulic actuator moving the brake between a closed position in which the brake applies braking pressure on the wheel of a railcar, and an open position in which the brake does not apply braking pressure on the wheel of the railcar; a hydraulic circuit provided with a pump arrangement for supplying hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic actuator; and a control circuit coupled to the hydraulic circuit for controlling the flow of hydraulic fluid to move the brake between the closed and open positions.Type: GrantFiled: November 26, 2014Date of Patent: January 9, 2018Assignee: Precision Rail and MFG., Inc.Inventors: Gerard R. Majeskie, Robert R. Meade, Kurtis James Opelt, Neal W. Becker
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Patent number: 9856938Abstract: A workpiece includes a material with a face and a first plurality of barbs and a second plurality of barbs extending integrally from the face. Each barb has a height above the face. The barbs of the first plurality are at least 10% higher than the barbs of the second plurality. The first plurality of barbs includes at least 10% of the barbs on the face and the second plurality of the barbs includes at least 10% of the barbs on the face. The barbs of the second plurality of barbs are bent and pointed.Type: GrantFiled: September 24, 2015Date of Patent: January 2, 2018Assignee: R.A. Investment Management S.A.R.L.Inventor: Ray Arbesman
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Patent number: 9855811Abstract: A vehicle suspension system includes a shock absorber having a cylinder in which a fluid is sealed, a piston slidably fitted into the cylinder, a piston rod connected to the piston and extending to an outside of the cylinder and a damping force generating apparatus controlling a flow of the fluid generated by a sliding motion of the piston inside the cylinder, a suspension spring, a detector detecting a stroke position of the piston rod with respect to the cylinder and a controller controlling the damping force generating apparatus so that one of an extension side damping force and a compression side damping force is increased and other of them is reduced in proportion to the stroke position detected by the detector.Type: GrantFiled: February 23, 2016Date of Patent: January 2, 2018Assignee: SHOWA CORPORATIONInventor: Yosuke Murakami
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Patent number: 9845839Abstract: A shock absorber for a vehicle includes a pressure tube that defines a fluid chamber and a piston disposed within the fluid chamber. The piston divides the fluid chamber into an upper working chamber and a lower working chamber, and defines a compression passage and a rebound passage. A valve disc assembly of the shock absorber engages the piston and controls the flow of fluid between the upper and lower working chambers. The valve disc assembly includes a check disc and an orifice disc. The check disc is disposed between the piston and the orifice disc. The orifice disc defines an orifice, and the check disc prohibits the flow of fluid through the orifice as the fluid flows in a first direction and permits the flow of fluid through the orifice as the fluid flows in a second direction opposite of the first direction.Type: GrantFiled: February 18, 2016Date of Patent: December 19, 2017Assignee: Tenneco Automotive Operating Company Inc.Inventor: Chad Rummel
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Patent number: 9834054Abstract: A shock absorber includes; a free piston that partitions the compression chamber into an expansion-side compression chamber and a contraction-side compression chamber; an expansion-side flow passage that connects the expansion-side chamber with the expansion-side compression chamber; a contraction-side flow passage that connects the contraction-side chamber with the contraction-side compression chamber; an expansion-side bypass valve provided in the expansion-side flow passage to admit only a flow directed from the expansion-side chamber to the expansion-side compression chamber and generate resistance; a contraction-side bypass valve provided in parallel with the expansion-side bypass valve to admit only a flow directed from the expansion-side compression chamber to the expansion-side chamber and generate resistance; an expansion-side elastic stopper configured to stop the free piston at an expansion-side stroke end; and a contraction-side elastic stopper configured to stop the free piston at a contraction-sType: GrantFiled: September 18, 2014Date of Patent: December 5, 2017Assignee: KYB CorporationInventors: Takashi Teraoka, Kazutaka Inamitsu, Tatsuya Masamura
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Patent number: 9829059Abstract: A single-degree-of-freedom magnetic vibration isolation device belongs to vibration isolation devices and solves the following problems: the existing active and passive combined vibration reduction system is complex in structure, needs energy supply, and has low reliability.Type: GrantFiled: June 20, 2014Date of Patent: November 28, 2017Assignee: Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyInventors: Xuedong Chen, Zilong Li
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Patent number: 9829056Abstract: A disk brake includes a brake caliper and two brake pads, which can be pressed onto a brake disk on both sides and which each have a pad carrier plate and a friction pad fastened thereto. A pad retaining clip, which is retained on the brake caliper and which spans an installation opening, is supported on the brake pads. The pad retaining clip is fastened to a form closure element of at least one brake pad so as to be secured against movement.Type: GrantFiled: March 16, 2015Date of Patent: November 28, 2017Assignee: KNORR-BREMSE Systeme fuer Nutzfahrzeuge GmbHInventors: Michael Peschel, Alexander Asen, Christian Stoeger, Matthias Klingner, Christian Brandl, Alexander Werth, Abdelaziz Rguichi
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Patent number: 9816552Abstract: An elastomeric bushing for a bearing. The bushing can, even after installation in the bearing, be pretensioned or calibrated, by displacement of elastomeric material in the interior of the bushing, where the displacement is carried out by different pressing mechanism and tensioning mechanism in the bushing and/or in the surrounding bearing.Type: GrantFiled: February 11, 2016Date of Patent: November 14, 2017Assignee: FM ENERGIE GMBH & CO. KGInventor: Franz Mitsch
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Patent number: 9815325Abstract: This invention relates to a universal brake system (UBS) that combines features from an adjustable wheel traction system (WTS) and an improved anti-lock brake (ABS) system. The WTS provides a plurality of extendable and retractable spikes contained in a wheel assembly or wheel adapter to increase traction (friction) between a vehicle's wheel and its supporting surface. To further improve wheel traction each wheel spike has different types of changeable heads for different types of terrain and road surfaces. When operating in dry road mode, the UBS operates as an anti-lock braking system except the spikes can operate during emergency braking to provide additional traction between the tire and wheel support surface.Type: GrantFiled: September 24, 2014Date of Patent: November 14, 2017Inventor: Reginald Bertram Howard
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Patent number: 9815517Abstract: A shock absorber, which is particularly applicable to bicycles, includes a secondary chamber whose volume selectively contributes to a volume associated with a primary chamber of the shock. A piston is supported by a compression rod and cooperates with a shock tube to define the primary chamber. The secondary chamber is fluidly isolated from the primary chamber by a valve arrangement positioned proximate the piston. A plunger extends along a longitudinal length of the shock and forms or interacts with the valve arrangement such that the secondary chamber is selectively fluidly connected to the primary chamber so the primary and secondary chambers of the shock assembly contribute to the performance of the shock for a selected portion of shock travel.Type: GrantFiled: June 16, 2015Date of Patent: November 14, 2017Assignee: Trek Bicycle CorporationInventors: Jose Gonzalez, Gregory Buhl
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Patent number: 9810278Abstract: A leaf spring (100) comprises at least two spring arms (120, 130) and an inner fixing hole (110). The at least two spring arms (120, 130) are evenly distributed around a center of the inner fixing hole (110); each spring arm is of the same structure, and an outer fixing hole (122) is disposed at an outermost end of each spring arm. Further provided are a leaf spring group and a compressor. The leaf spring group comprises multiple leaf springs, and the compressor comprises the leaf spring group. The provided leaf spring has a structure of multiple concentric circular arms or a structure of concentric vortex arms, and the leaf spring has smaller equivalent mass, so that the rigidity and inherent frequency requirements can be met without the need of increasing the mass of the components, thereby reducing the product mass and saving the cost.Type: GrantFiled: September 5, 2014Date of Patent: November 7, 2017Assignee: Green Refrigeration Equipment Engineering Research Center of Zhuhai Gree Co., Ltd.Inventors: Hui Huang, Yusheng Hu, Huijun Wei, Zhong Cui, Jianping Huang, Chuanshun Huang, Zhujin Chen, Yiming Liang
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Patent number: 9810282Abstract: A shock absorber is disclosed having a pressure tube forming a working chamber, and a piston assembly slidably disposed within the pressure tube. The piston assembly may divide the working chamber into upper and lower working chambers. The piston assembly may have a piston body defining a first fluid passage extending therethrough and a first valve assembly controlling fluid flow through the first fluid passage. A second fluid passage, separate from the first fluid passage, extends from one of the upper and lower working chambers to a fluid chamber defined at least in part by the pressure tube. A plurality of digital valve assemblies are included and configured to exclusively control all fluid flow through the second fluid passage, and thus all fluid flow between the one of the upper and lower working chambers to the fluid chamber.Type: GrantFiled: March 6, 2017Date of Patent: November 7, 2017Assignee: Tenneco Automotive Operating Company Inc.Inventors: Matthew L. Roessle, Karl C. Kazmirski, Jeroen K. Paenhuysen, Darrell G. Breese, Daniel T. Keil, Thomas P. Mallin, Jeffrey T. Gardner
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Patent number: 9797464Abstract: An urging spring (15) urges a friction pad toward the exit side of the rotational direction of a disk when a vehicle equipped with the disk brake runs forward. The urging spring is disposed between a lug portion (11A) of the friction pad and a torque receiving surface (5) of a carrier (2). The distal end of the urging spring is configured to abut against the disk to perform wear detection. The urging spring includes a mounting portion (15A), a first extending portion (15B), a boundary region (15E), a bent portion (15C), and a second extending portion (15D). The boundary region is reduced in width to lower stiffness. The bent portion is increased in width and provided with reinforcing portions, thereby enhancing the stiffness. Thus, the natural frequencies of the second extending portion in the rotational direction K and the vertical direction J come close to each other.Type: GrantFiled: April 30, 2014Date of Patent: October 24, 2017Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.Inventors: Hayuru Inoue, Daisuke Tanabe, Yoichi Kumemura, Seiko Tanabe, Hitoshi Yoshida