Patents Examined by Timothy McAnulty
  • Patent number: 7059214
    Abstract: In an electronic control unit, a transmission control module for controlling an automatic transmission and a position sensor for detecting the range position of the automatic transmission are built in a common unit case. A first member and a second member to be fitted at the time of mounting the electronic control unit on an automatic transmission case are directed in the mounting direction when mounted on the automatic transmission case, and a third member is mounted on those two members. A predetermined clearance is formed at a predetermined portion on the mounting path between the automatic transmission case and the third member. When the electronic control unit is mounted on the automatic transmission case, therefore, the clearance on the mounting path inbetween absorbs the positional deviation between the first member and the second member thereby to facilitate the mounting work. Thus, the mounting workability of a position sensor built-in electronic control unit on an automatic transmission is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2006
    Assignee: Aisin AW Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Naotaka Murakami, Naoto Ogasawara, Kenji Suzuki, Kohichi Ichigo
  • Patent number: 7004883
    Abstract: A trunnion of a toroidal-type continuously variable transmission has a support plate portion for supporting a displacement shaft and a pair of bent wall portions respectively bent toward the inner surface side of the support plate portion. The support plate portion and the pair of bent wall portions cooperates together in defining a pocket portion for storing a power roller therein. Pivot shafts are disposed concentrically with each other on the outer surfaces of the pair of bent wall portions. The pair of bent wall portions are connected together by a connecting member. The connecting member includes a pressure receive portion contactable with the inner surface of the pocket portion in a direction intersecting substantially at right angles to the thrust direction and receiving a pressing force acting on the pocket portion to crush the pocket portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2006
    Assignee: NSK Ltd.
    Inventors: Kouji Ishikawa, Yutaka Sato, Masami Tanaka, Tomofumi Yamashita, Nobuo Goto
  • Patent number: 6990874
    Abstract: A collapsible telescopic steering apparatus comprises a steering column having an inner tube and an outer tube which are engaged with each other. The engagement state of the tubes is switchable between a press-fit state and a loose-fit state. Upon vehicle collision, the tubes in the press-fit state are slid relative to each other for shock absorption. For telescopic adjustment, the tubes in the loose-fit state are slid relative to each other to adjust the fore-and-aft position of a steering wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2006
    Assignee: Koyo Seiko Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tetsuya Murakami, Hiroaki Shinto, Shuzo Hirakushi
  • Patent number: 6983669
    Abstract: A ball screw mechanism has an opposing thread provided by an integral male thread formed at one end of a nut received on the screw. The male thread is of a smaller form than the female thread on the screw so as to not normally be in contact therewith, but should ay loss of the balls occur with the resultant slight relative axial shift of the screw and nut, the male threads engage to limit such relative axial movement to protect connected equipment. Both the nut male and female threads may be machined from a cylindrical nut blank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2006
    Assignee: Atwood Mobile Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick Clint, Bryce J. Bulthaus, Steven Caronna
  • Patent number: 6951150
    Abstract: Gearwheel, intended to be connected through press fitting to a shaft, the gearwheel exhibiting a hub and a cog path connected to the hub, the hub exhibiting at least one flank extending axially outside the cog path and a through-hole with a first area situated axially outside the cog path and a second area situated radially inside the cog path. A shaft supporting a press fitted gearwheel that exhibits a hub and a cog path connected to the hub, the hub exhibiting at least one flank extending axially outside the cog path whereby the hub exhibits a through-hole with a first area situated axially outside the cog path and a second area situated radially inside the cog path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2005
    Assignee: Volvo Lastvagnar AB
    Inventor: Anders Hedman
  • Patent number: 6910400
    Abstract: In a machine tool comprising a spindle mounting slide which is driven by a linear electric motor and which runs in a vertical direction in a slideway, the slide is equipped with a counterweighting device comprising an elastic element and a roller chain, the rigidity of the chain being less than the rigidity of the elastic element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2005
    Assignee: Jobs S.p.A.
    Inventors: Maurizio Ferrari, Carlo Massari
  • Patent number: 6899651
    Abstract: A drive sprocket assembly includes a hub having an endless chain connected thereto. A plurality of driver members are mounted between the hub and the endless chain to provide sound suppression.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2005
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc
    Inventor: Thomas E. Oertley
  • Patent number: 6898995
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an actuation device for a motor vehicle, including a pedal stand that can be mounted on the vehicle and has articulated to it a base member that is swivelling about a first axis and fixable by means of an adjustment device, comprising a housing for a hydraulic or electromechanic generator that points into a vehicle interior in opposition to a direction of actuation, and a pedal lever which is pivoted at the base member and includes two legs, wherein foot pressure is applicable to the first leg, and the second leg acts on the generator. The device permits a simple adjustment of the actuation device to adapt to the comfort requirements of different drivers with different body lengths (leg lengths) and further has an optimized collision performance. Finally, it is favorable that hydraulic generators may also be arranged in the interior of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2005
    Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. oHG
    Inventors: Jürgen Schonlau, Hans-Jörg Feigel
  • Patent number: 6895833
    Abstract: The shift-lever apparatus of an automatic transmission for enabling manual mode operation includes a housing, a shift-lever connected to a rotating unit disposed at a lower portion of the housing such that the shift-lever can rotate about the rotating unit, and a base member fixed to the shift-lever and enclosed by the housing, such that the base member moves according to the movement of the shift-lever. The apparatus also includes “+” and “?” switches, each being disposed at either side of the base member, such that the “+” and “?” switches are selectively operated according to the movement of the shift-lever. Finally, the apparatus includes a switch operating unit disposed at the base member such that the switch operating unit selectively presses the “+” and “?” switches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2005
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventor: Yang-Rae Cho
  • Patent number: 6892598
    Abstract: A gear change mechanism is provided which is intended for a gearbox in which changes of the gear ratio in the gearbox are made mechanically in response to actuating signals. The mechanical movements required are as for a conventional gearbox having a H type pattern. A gearbox selector (20) is mounted for movement about an axis and in the direction of the axis. The selector is operable by two actuators (16 and 18), one (16) to move the selector about its axis and the other (18) to move it in the axial direction. Each actuator can be similar having a cylinder and a shaft and annular pistons located about the shaft. For the rotational movement of the selector three positions are required, a neutral, a gear engaged position in one direction and a gear engaged position in the other direction. For movements in the direction of the axis two, three or four positions are required depending upon whether it is a two, three or four rail gearbox.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2005
    Assignee: Prodrive 2000 Limited
    Inventors: Shaun E. Mepham, Simon P. Bull, Roland J. Broadbent
  • Patent number: 6892602
    Abstract: A device for fastening a casing tube switch module to a casing tube of a steering wheel shaft when a steering wheel is mounted on the steering shaft. The device including a clamping element and a bearing. The clamping element is arranged coaxially between the casing tube and the switch module. The clamping element exerts a clamping force in a direction extending radially out from the steering shaft. The bearing rotationally decouples the steering wheel from the switch module. The bearing has a stator operable for transferring an axial motion of the steering wheel as the steering wheel is mounted on the steering shaft to the switch module such that the switch module moves axially with respect to the casing tube toward the clamping element and tensions the clamping element to apply the clamping force to fasten the switch module to the casing tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2005
    Assignee: Leopold Kostal GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Klaus Hirschfeld, Holger Lettmann, Christoph Oster, Dietmar Kritzler
  • Patent number: 6889573
    Abstract: A shift actuator for transmission, for turning, in a direction of shift, a shift lever support mechanism mounting the shift lever of the transmission. An operation lever is coupled, at an intermediate portion thereof, to the shift lever support mechanism. A first electromagnetic solenoid and a second electromagnetic solenoid are coupled to the two ends of the operation level so as to operate in upward and downward directions. The operation rod of the first electromagnetic solenoid is coupled to one end of the operation lever, and the operation rod of the second electromagnetic solenoid is coupled to the other end of the operation lever.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2005
    Assignee: Isuzu Motors Limited
    Inventors: Masahiko Hayashi, Yasushi Yamamoto, Nobuyuki Iwao
  • Patent number: 6890275
    Abstract: A continuously variable transmission for a motor vehicle, possessing a variator (2, 2?) with a primary V-pulley set (3, 3?) and a secondary V-pulley set (4, 4?). In this arrangement are a primary V-pulley disk (5, 5?) and a secondary V-pulley disk (6, 6?), which are axially slidable by hydraulic force for the controlled adjustment of a pressure can be, respectively, loaded with an oil flow through an electro-hydraulically controlled pressure supply apparatus (1, 1?). The pressure supply apparatus (1,1?) is so designed, that the oil flow is brought to the V-pulley disks (5, 5?, 5, 6?) through a pressure line (8, 8?, 9, 9?) with at least one pressure controller (10, 10?, 11, 11?) and one pressure chamber (12, 12?, 13, 13?) with a variable volume (V1, V2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2005
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Andreas Piepenbrink, Bernd Fessler, Wolfgang Runge
  • Patent number: 6889571
    Abstract: An actuator including a rotatable gear wheel reversibly drivable by a motor, the gear wheel being operably connectable to an output element by a drive transfer device, the output element being moveable between a first and second position, in which the drive transfer device is operably disconnectable from the output lever to allow independent movement of the output lever.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2005
    Assignee: Meritor Light Vehicle Systems (UK) Limited
    Inventors: Gurbinder Singh Kalsi, Douglas Conquest
  • Patent number: 6890103
    Abstract: In a linear guide bearing apparatus wherein a separator is interposed between adjacent balls K and K moving following a curved circulating path 8, and the ball K contacts concave faces W of the separator T at both ends in an axial line direction and at the same time the ball K rolls as contacting a guide face 8a of an outside guiding member 5 and a guide face 8b of an inside guiding member 9, the separator has an outer diameter larger than a maximum outer diameter L? under a condition where the ball rolls as simultaneously contacting both curved faces 8a, 8b of the inside and the outside of the curved circulating path 8, and the radius of curvature of the guiding face 8b in the curved circulating path 8 is reduced to a size not contacting the separator T.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2005
    Assignee: NSK Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinichi Kasuga, Ryoichi Sato, Hiroki Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 6880421
    Abstract: A rolled ball screw has a screw shaft having a ball screw groove so as to engaging with rolling elements of a ball screw, the screw shaft is formed by rolling while a thread rolling die is pressed against a cylindrical bar-shaped member to thereby roll the ball screw groove, wherein the number of waves per circumference per lead of said ball screw groove is set different from the integer multiples of the number of said rolling elements per lead of said ball screw groove.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2005
    Assignee: NSK Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasumi Watanabe, Hitoshi Sannomiya
  • Patent number: 6880416
    Abstract: A device for adjusting parts which can move in relation to each other includes: a driveable threaded hollow spindle with inner and outer threads increasing in opposing directions; an inner spindle cooperating with the inner threads and connected to a first fixing device to secure the device to one of the moveable parts; and a propulsive tube cooperating with the outer threads via an outer nut. The propulsive tube is connected to a second fixing device enabling fixation on one of the parts which can move in relation to each other. The threaded hollow spindle may be mounted in a rotationally fixed and longitudinally displaceable manner on a catch device which can be rotationally driven around the axis of the hollow spindle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2005
    Assignee: Okin Gesellschaft fur Antriebstechnik mbH & Co.KG
    Inventor: Dietmar Koch
  • Patent number: 6877392
    Abstract: In a gear, particularly for a robot, with a drive shaft and at least two parts rotatable relative thereto and to one another, in which a movement of one part is removable on its side remote from the other part, at least one of the rotary parts has a shaft connected in non-rotary manner thereto and which projects at least to the other part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2005
    Assignee: KUKA Roboter GmbH
    Inventor: Joachim Markert
  • Patent number: 6865967
    Abstract: A select member has a stopper arm, is pivotally connected to a case and is pivotal about a first axis substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the case. A shift lever is connected to the select member and pivotal about a second axis substantially in parallel with the longitudinal axis and has a portion that passes through a gate slot. A lock lever is pivotal into the window to block gthe stopper arm. An actuating mechanism permits the lock lever to selectively assume a position wherein the lock lever blocks movement of the stopper arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2005
    Assignee: Fuji Kiko Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Norihito Shioji, Mitsuo Narazaki
  • Patent number: 6863157
    Abstract: A lubricant injector having a measuring chamber, venting of the injector involving transmission of lubricant from its inlet to the measuring chamber, a method of operation of the injector involving such transmission, systems embodying one or more of such injectors, improving the performance of existing systems by use of one or more such injectors, an injector/connector assembly, and an injector sealing assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2005
    Assignee: Lincoln Industrial Corporation
    Inventors: Paul G. Conley, Thomas M. Arens