Patents by Inventor James G. McLeish

James G. McLeish 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).

  • Patent number: 4589676
    Abstract: An adaptive ride control for a wheeled vehicle having sprung and unsprung masses connected by a variable damper periodically senses, during a predetermined time period, the vertical separation between the sprung and unsprung masses and generates first and second numbers from the number of road-caused oscillations of said vertical separation and the maximum range of said vertical separation, respectively, during the predetermined time period. The control includes lookup memory apparatus effective to store damping control numbers as a function of predetermined values of said first and second numbers and uses the first and second numbers to periodically obtain damping control numbers therefrom in order to adjust the variable damper in response to sensed road conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 1984
    Date of Patent: May 20, 1986
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth R. Meloche, James G. McLeish, Douglas R. Bach, Harry C. Buchanan, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4568096
    Abstract: A level control system for a motor vehicle with an unsprung mass including a wheel, a sprung mass, and a shock absorber connecting the sprung and unsprung masses comprises fluid power apparatus activatable to level the sprung mass with respect to the unsprung mass, a sensor effective to generate a signal indicating the level of the sprung mass relative to the unsprung mass and apparatus responsive to the sensor to compute the difference between the total times, within a predetermined time period, spent by the level above and below a predetermined trim band and apparatus effective to compare the difference of the times with a reference comprising a predetermined percentage of the predetermined time period and activate the fluid power apparatus if the difference exceeds the reference in magnitude, whereby the system can maintain a narrow trim band while the vehicle is not moving while avoiding unnecessary corrections and cycling due to excursions above and below the trim band during vehicle movement over rough
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 1984
    Date of Patent: February 4, 1986
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Ming-Chih Yew, Bernard J. Finn, Herbert A. Libkie, Kenneth R. Meloche, James G. McLeish
  • Patent number: 4540188
    Abstract: A level control system for a wheeled motor vehicle with sprung and unsprung masses, an accessory the activation of which indicates the probability of an associated vehicle load change, fluid power apparatus activatable to level the sprung mass relative to the unsprung mass and sensor apparatus effective to periodically indicate a trim or out-of-trim level condition according to predetermined criteria further comprises apparatus defining a service mode with a time period shorter than a predetermined activation time of the fluid power apparatus which avoids overshoot in level adjustment, a cruise mode with a time period longer than the out-of-trim duration of a predetermined long highway feature and a decision mode with a time period of duration intermediate the service and cruise time period durations and longer than the period of sprung mass oscillation during vehicle movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 1984
    Date of Patent: September 10, 1985
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth R. Meloche, James G. McLeish, Herbert A. Libkie