Patents by Inventor John Tyler Hibbard

John Tyler Hibbard 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: 11934196
    Abstract: A lawn vehicle network includes a charging station having a visual identifier, a lawn vehicle having a battery, a blade system, a drive system whose output effects lawn vehicle forward movement, a processor board connected to both systems, the processor board capable of processing image data and sending commands to both systems, and a vision assembly connected to the processor board and able to transmit image data to the processor board, and the processor board, having received the image data, able to, if the image data represent a first object, maintain the drive system's output at the time of that determination, if the image data represent a second object, change the drive system's output at the time of that determination, and if the image data represent the visual identifier, maintain the drive system's output or send a shutoff command to the vision assembly at the time of that determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Hydro-Gear Limited Partnership
    Inventors: Damon J. Hoyda, Eric S. Phanco, John Tyler Hibbard, David H. Dunten
  • Patent number: 11833985
    Abstract: A drive and control system for a lawn tractor includes a CAN-Bus network, a plurality of controllers, a pair of electric transaxles controlled by the plurality of controllers, and one or more steering and drive input devices coupled to respective sensor(s) for sensing user steering and drive inputs. The plurality of controllers communicate with one or more vehicle sensors via the CAN-Bus network. The plurality of controllers receive the user's steering and drive inputs and posts on the CAN-Bus network and generate drive signals to obtain the desired speed and direction of motion of the lawn tractor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Hydro-Gear Limited Partnership
    Inventors: Alyn G. Brown, K. Mike McCoy, Gregory Barton Moebs, Gregory E. Arends, Damon J. Hoyda, Jesse L. Probst, Joseph Hamilton, John Tyler Hibbard
  • Patent number: 11427203
    Abstract: A drive and control system for a lawn tractor includes a CAN-Bus network, a plurality of controllers, a pair of electric transaxles controlled by the plurality of controllers, and one or more steering and drive input devices coupled to respective sensor(s) for sensing user steering and drive inputs. The plurality of controllers communicate with one or more vehicle sensors via the CAN-Bus network. The plurality of controllers receive the user's steering and drive inputs and posts on the CAN-Bus network and generate drive signals to obtain the desired speed and direction of motion of the lawn tractor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: Hydro-Gear Limited Partnership
    Inventors: Alyn G. Brown, K. Mike McCoy, Gregory Barton Moebs, Gregory E. Arends, Damon J. Hoyda, Jesse L. Probst, Joseph Hamilton, John Tyler Hibbard
  • Patent number: 10926768
    Abstract: A drive and control system for a lawn tractor includes a CAN-Bus network, a vehicle controller, a pair of hydrostatic or electric transaxles controlled by respective electronic drive controllers, and one or more steering and drive input devices coupled to respective sensor(s) for sensing user steering and drive inputs. The vehicle controller communicates with one or more vehicle sensors and one or more vehicle controllers that control one or more vehicle components via the CAN-Bus network. The vehicle controller processes the user's steering and drive inputs and posts on the CAN-Bus network digital drive signals configured to obtain the desired speed and direction of motion of the lawn tractor. The electronic drive controllers convert the digital drive signals to appropriate signals for driving the hydrostatic transaxles or the electric transaxles, as equipped, based on tunable motion parameters to obtain the desired speed and direction of motion of the lawn tractor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: Hydro-Gear Limited Partnership
    Inventors: Alyn G. Brown, K. Mike McCoy, Gregory Barton Moebs, Gregory E. Arends, Damon J. Hoyda, Jesse L. Probst, Joseph Hamilton, John Tyler Hibbard
  • Patent number: 10919463
    Abstract: A drive and control system for a lawn tractor includes a CAN-Bus network, a vehicle controller, a pair of hydrostatic or electric transaxles controlled by respective electronic drive controllers, and one or more steering and drive input devices coupled to respective sensor(s) for sensing user steering and drive inputs. The vehicle controller communicates with one or more vehicle sensors and one or more vehicle controllers that control one or more vehicle components via the CAN-Bus network. The vehicle controller processes the user's steering and drive inputs and posts on the CAN-Bus network digital drive signals configured to obtain the desired speed and direction of motion of the lawn tractor. The electronic drive controllers convert the digital drive signals to appropriate signals for driving the hydrostatic transaxles or the electric transaxles, as equipped, based on tunable motion parameters to obtain the desired speed and direction of motion of the lawn tractor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Hydro-Gear Limited Partnership
    Inventors: Alyn G. Brown, K Mike McCoy, Gregory Barton Moebs, Gregory E. Arends, Damon J. Hoyda, Jesse L. Probst, Joseph Hamilton, John Tyler Hibbard
  • Patent number: 10197174
    Abstract: A loop flushing valve includes a valve body, a fluid passage plug, and a poppet. The valve body includes an internal shoulder and a bore. The fluid passage plug is disposed in the bore and includes a fluid passage in fluid communication with the bore and a system fluid passage. The poppet is captured between the internal shoulder and the fluid passage plug and extends through the valve body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: Hydro-Gear Limited Partnership
    Inventor: John Tyler Hibbard
  • Patent number: 9638341
    Abstract: A loop flushing valve assembly for use in a hydraulic circuit has a pair of valve subassemblies cooperating with a respective valve seat between a port and an outlet passage. Each subassembly has a main port plug and a fluid passage plug with a fluid passage extending therethrough. A valve body is engaged to the fluid passage plug and is axially moveable from a closed position where its seat end is in contact with its respective valve seat to prevent fluid flow from the respective fluid side to the outlet passage to an open position and the valve body is biased to the closed position. A poppet extends out the seat end of the each valve body. When pressure in one fluid side exceeds pressure in the other side, the valve subassembly poppet axially moves towards the other poppet to open the other side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: Hydro-Gear Limited Partnersip
    Inventor: John Tyler Hibbard