Patents by Inventor Carl T. Wright
Carl T. Wright has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 7963377Abstract: Dampers for vehicle suspensions include a housing comprising a tube attached to a wheel axle of a vehicle and a piston rod extending from a piston within the tube and attached to the vehicle body. The piston divides the tube into first and second chambers. In order to damp responses when minor smooth road imperfections impart low force excitations to the wheel of the vehicle, a fluid bypass passageway in the form of a sleeve is positioned around the tube and overlies the piston. This provides second stage quasi-ideal damping at low force excitations to the wheels and thus to the wheel axles of the vehicle. The sleeve communicates with the first and second chambers through metered orifices or valves. As low force excitations from smooth road imperfections displace fluid within the tube through the metered orifices or valves, the orifices damp responses to the low force excitations, thereby smoothing the ride of the vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: April 6, 2005Date of Patent: June 21, 2011Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLCInventors: Shawn G. Quinn, Gregory J. Fadler, William C. Gregory, Carl T. Wright, Kenneth L. Oblizajek
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Patent number: 7926338Abstract: A raw runout signal of a tire is bandpass filtered utilizing appropriate, empirically determined, low and high tire order corners to determine the bandpass of the bandpass filter. A band-limited runout signal is then obtained and is examined for characteristic signal patterns of local runout which are known to exhibit periodically modulated cabin interior sound during vehicle movement, usually driving conditions involving highway speeds and smooth roads, which is audibly detectable by passengers based upon, for example, empirical analysis wherein the maximum gain of the bandpass filter is, preferably, unity.Type: GrantFiled: August 12, 2009Date of Patent: April 19, 2011Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLCInventors: Kenneth L. Oblizajek, John D. Sopoci, Carl T. Wright
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Patent number: 7909361Abstract: A steering wheel and column assembly is provided for deployment on a vehicle. In one embodiment, the steering wheel and column assemblies comprises: (i) a steering column housing, (ii) a rotatable steering assembly, and (iii) a torsional damper device. The rotatable steering assembly includes a steering column shaft, which is rotatably coupled to the steering column housing, and a steering wheel, which is fixedly coupled to the steering column shaft. The torsional damper device includes a stator body, which is fixedly coupled to the steering column housing, and a rotor body, which is fixedly coupled to the rotatable steering assembly. The rotor body frictionally engages the stator body to produce a predetermined coulomb torque frictional resistance.Type: GrantFiled: June 10, 2008Date of Patent: March 22, 2011Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLCInventors: Kenneth L. Oblizajek, Carl T. Wright
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Publication number: 20110036158Abstract: A raw runout signal of a tire is bandpass filtered utilizing appropriate, empirically determined, low and high tire order corners to determine the bandpass of the bandpass filter. A band-limited runout signal is then obtained and is examined for characteristic signal patterns of local runout which are known to exhibit periodically modulated cabin interior sound during vehicle movement, usually driving conditions involving highway speeds and smooth roads, which is audibly detectable by passengers based upon, for example, empirical analysis wherein the maximum gain of the bandpass filter is, preferably, unity.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 12, 2009Publication date: February 17, 2011Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.Inventors: Kenneth L. Oblizajek, John D. Sopoci, Carl T. Wright
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Publication number: 20090301803Abstract: A steering wheel and column assembly is provided for deployment on a vehicle. In one embodiment, the steering wheel and column assemblies comprises: (i) a steering column housing, (ii) a rotatable steering assembly, and (iii) a torsional damper device. The rotatable steering assembly includes a steering column shaft, which is rotatably coupled to the steering column housing, and a steering wheel, which is fixedly coupled to the steering column shaft. The torsional damper device includes a stator body, which is fixedly coupled to the steering column housing, and a rotor body, which is fixedly coupled to the rotatable steering assembly. The rotor body frictionally engages the stator body to produce a predetermined coulomb torque frictional resistance.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 10, 2008Publication date: December 10, 2009Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.Inventors: Kenneth L. OBLIZAJEK, Carl T. WRIGHT
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Patent number: 7591353Abstract: A decoupled mono tube damper assembly includes an outer tube attached to a vehicle's unsprung mass. The outer tube has a base and a sleeve end. An outer tube sleeve engaging end of an inner tube is slidingly engaged with the sleeve end. The inner tube has an end distal to the sleeve engaging end, and is attached to the vehicle's sprung mass at the distal end. A damper rod has one opposed end extending axially into a base aperture, and an opposed end connecting to the inner tube. The rod moves axially relative to the outer tube. A low amplitude energy-managing member is operatively disposed within the outer tube, and has a throughbore receiving the rod. A travel-limiting member attaches to the rod and is engageable with the energy-managing member to constrain axial movement of the rod through the outer tube base to a predetermined limit.Type: GrantFiled: November 30, 2005Date of Patent: September 22, 2009Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations, Inc.Inventors: Shawn G. Quinn, Gregory J. Fadler, William C. Gregory, Carl T. Wright, Kenneth L. Oblizajek
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Publication number: 20080078635Abstract: A damper assembly for a suspension system of a vehicle includes a housing adapted to be mounted to one end of a strut in the suspension system. The housing has a chamber with fluid therein. The damper assembly also includes at least one diaphragm extending across the chamber to react with the fluid, to be compliant at relatively small displacements, and to be rigid at relatively large displacements.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 28, 2006Publication date: April 3, 2008Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.Inventors: Kenneth L. Oblizajek, Shawn G. Quinn, William C. Gregory, Carl T. Wright, Gregory J. Fadler
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Patent number: 7347437Abstract: A damper assembly for a suspension system of a vehicle includes a housing adapted to be mounted to one end of a strut in the suspension system. The housing has a chamber with fluid therein. The damper assembly also includes at least one diaphragm extending across the chamber to react with the fluid, to be compliant at relatively small displacements, and to be rigid at relatively large displacements.Type: GrantFiled: September 28, 2006Date of Patent: March 25, 2008Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations, Inc.Inventors: Kenneth L. Oblizajek, Shawn G. Quinn, William C. Gregory, Carl T. Wright, Gregory J. Fadler
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Patent number: 7299117Abstract: The ability of a damper to attenuate smooth road shake in a vehicle is tested using a test fixture that is controlled by inputting data for periodic low amplitude periodic excitations having a selected frequency range, selected amplitude range and a selected dither representative of vehicle operation on relatively smooth roads. The selected frequency range is about 5 Hz to 30 Hz and the selected amplitude range is about 0.05 mm to 2.00 mm. A preferred frequency is about 15 Hz which is applied preferably for about 200 cycles in a series of separate tests at individual amplitudes of, for example, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20, 0.25, 0.50, 1.00 and 2.00 mm. The damper is tested to produce low amplitude test results comprising displacement, force and velocity parameters, measured as functions of time.Type: GrantFiled: April 6, 2005Date of Patent: November 20, 2007Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations, Inc.Inventors: Kenneth L. Oblizajek, Carl T. Wright, Shawn G. Quinn, John D. Sopoci, Gregory J. Fadler, William C. Gregory
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Patent number: 6976403Abstract: An assembly operable to be used with a steering wheel of a vehicle and to suppress a vibration transmitted to the steering wheel includes a plurality of support flexures and an inertial ring attached to the support flexures. The support flexures are operable to be attached to the steering wheel and the support flexures and the inertial ring are tuned to suppress a vibration at a predetermined band of frequencies. The support flexures and the inertial ring are positioned in an annular cavity formed in the rim.Type: GrantFiled: September 13, 2002Date of Patent: December 20, 2005Assignee: General Motors CorporationInventors: Kenneth L. Oblizajek, Carl T. Wright
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Patent number: 6714858Abstract: An on-road balancing system is provided that includes an analyzer, vibration sensor, and rotation sensor. The rotation sensor is coupled to at least one vehicle wheel and the vibration sensor is coupled to a component within the vehicle. The analyzer is responsive to input from the rotation sensor and the vibration sensor to calculate a phasor quantity representative of vibrations transmitted from the wheel to the component.Type: GrantFiled: July 30, 2002Date of Patent: March 30, 2004Assignee: General Motors CorporationInventors: Kenneth L. Oblizajek, Carl T. Wright, John D Sopoci
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Publication number: 20040050203Abstract: An assembly operable to be used with a steering wheel of a vehicle and to suppress a vibration transmitted to the steering wheel includes a plurality of support flexures and an inertial ring attached to the support flexures. The support flexures are operable to be attached to the steering wheel and the support flexures and the inertial ring are tuned to suppress a vibration at a predetermined band of frequencies. The support flexures and the inertial ring are positioned in an annular cavity formed in the rim.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 13, 2002Publication date: March 18, 2004Inventors: Kenneth L. Oblizajek, Carl T. Wright
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Publication number: 20040024520Abstract: An on-road balancing system is provided that includes an analyzer, vibration sensor, and rotation sensor. The rotation sensor is coupled to at least one vehicle wheel and the vibration sensor is coupled to a component within the vehicle. The analyzer is responsive to input from the rotation sensor and the vibration sensor to calculate a phasor quantity representative of vibrations transmitted from the wheel to the component.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 30, 2002Publication date: February 5, 2004Inventors: Kenneth L. Oblizajek, Carl T. Wright, John D. Sopoci