Patents by Inventor Trent S. Kucher

Trent S. Kucher 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: 7634155
    Abstract: Consistent with an aspect of the present disclosure, a method of locating a position of a movable member is provided. The movable member is movable along a path and has a surface with a plurality of markings provided thereon. The method includes sensing an image of a portion of the surface of the movable member, and calculating a position of the movable member based on the image. Further, the method includes determining whether the movable member is at a location corresponding to one of the plurality of markings, and eliminating an error associated with the position when the movable member is at the location corresponding to the one of the plurality of markings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2009
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Paul C. Pawelski, Francis J. Raab, Trent S. Kucher
  • Patent number: 7162947
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining the position of a rod member of a cylinder assembly are provided. The cylinder assembly may include a cylinder body, a gland member, a sensor mount, a rod member, and a position sensor attached to the sensor mount. The cylinder body may have a first mounting portion disposed thereon. The gland member may be disposed within a gland opening of the cylinder body. The sensor mount may have a second mounting portion disposed thereon and may be attached to the cylinder body via a coupling engagement between the second mounting portion of the sensor mount and the first mounting portion of the cylinder body. The rod member may be slidably arranged within rod openings of the sensor mount and the gland member and may extend into a longitudinal cylinder chamber of the cylinder body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2007
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc
    Inventors: Trent S. Kucher, Thomas G. Skinner
  • Patent number: 6147342
    Abstract: An encoding system for determining the position of a cylinder rod along a path of movement, the encoding system including a sequence of code segments located on the rod along the path of movement, each of the code segments including a distinct pattern of marks extending from a starting position in a direction transverse to the path of movement and identifying the position of the code segment on the rod, the encoding system further including at least one mark on the rod extending substantially continuously along the path of movement in predetermined relation to the starting positions of the patterns of marks for indicating the locations thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2000
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventor: Trent S. Kucher