Ford Motor Patent Grants

Smart vehicle parking apparatus and related methods

Granted: February 21, 2023
Patent Number: 11587193
Smart vehicle parking apparatus and related methods are disclosed herein. An example system includes a processor to reserve a personal vehicle for a time interval. The personal vehicle is to park at a location during the time interval. The processor is also to match a vehicle use option to the personal vehicle based on the time interval and the location. The vehicle use option is associated with a person to use the personal vehicle during the time interval.

Minimum quantity lubrication thread tap

Granted: February 14, 2023
Patent Number: 11577330
A thread tap includes a shaft and teeth. The shaft includes helical passages from the threading end to the base end of the shaft. Each passage opens through an aperture in the threading end. A second tap includes a cap and the shaft includes an axially extending passage. The cap is coupled to the threading end and at least partially defines apertures in fluid communication with the passage and the exterior of the tap. A third tap includes teeth spaced apart by a plurality of linear…

Renewable energy vehicle charging

Granted: January 24, 2023
Patent Number: 11560064
A renewable energy charging system for increasing the charging efficiency of an autonomous vehicle includes a computer programed to predict, in a vehicle at a plurality of locations, an amount of power generation associated with each location. The computer selects one of the locations based at least on the predicted amounts of power generation and moves the vehicle to the selected location.

Renewable energy vehicle charging

Granted: January 24, 2023
Patent Number: 11560064
A renewable energy charging system for increasing the charging efficiency of an autonomous vehicle includes a computer programed to predict, in a vehicle at a plurality of locations, an amount of power generation associated with each location. The computer selects one of the locations based at least on the predicted amounts of power generation and moves the vehicle to the selected location.

Tooling assembly with internal coolant passages for machines

Granted: November 8, 2022
Patent Number: 11491594
The present disclosure is directed toward a tooling assembly for a machine having an automatic tool changing system. The tooling assembly includes a holder, a tool body, and an internal passage defined within and extending through the holder and the tool body. The holder includes a machine interface configured to engage with a spindle of the machine. The internal passage is operable to have a coolant fluid flow within, and has a stem channel and a curved channel extending from the stem…

Method of machining an opening in a plurality of blanks

Granted: October 4, 2022
Patent Number: 11458526
A method and a system are disclosed for making an article of manufacture from a blank defining an internal opening. A stack of blanks are aligned and the internal openings of the blanks in the stack of blanks are machined by a rotary cutting tool to a finished dimension. The blanks are clamped together before machining in a numerically controlled machine tool. The blanks are subsequently formed individually in a sheet metal forming operation in which the inner perimeter of the internal…

Method for manufacturing a membrane assembly for a fuel cell with catalyst-free edge to the frame; membrane assembly and fuel cell with membrane assembly

Granted: September 27, 2022
Patent Number: 11456475
A method for manufacturing a membrane assembly for a fuel cell, which membrane assembly includes a membrane with a catalyst layer and a frame arranged on the same side of the membrane and a gap between the catalyst layer and the frame. To allow an easy and cost-effective way for manufacturing such a membrane assembly, the manufacturing method may include the following steps: positioning a first decal layer, which is made of the same material as the first catalyst layer, on the first…

Apparatus and methods for queueing transportation providers and passengers

Granted: September 27, 2022
Patent Number: 11455699
Apparatus and methods for queueing transportation providers and passengers are described. A method includes queuing in a first queue, first broadcast messages received from passenger mobile devices and queuing in a second queue, second broadcast messages received from transportation provider mobile devices. The method also includes comparing, via a processor, each of the first broadcast messages in the first queue to the second broadcast messages in the second queue to identify a match…

Method to chase weld lines by timing and positioning of gates

Granted: September 6, 2022
Patent Number: 11433580
An apparatus and method for eliminating mold lines when molding a part having ferromagnetic pigments is provided. A mold assembly having a mold with a cavity and valve gates is formed. Pucks are fitted at the gates to collect residual cold plastic. The calculation of a specific sequence and timing of the opening of the valve gates is determined based on a calculation of the total number of valve gates needed to fill a part while maintaining acceptable injection molding pressure. Once…

Dual torque and injection molding device

Granted: May 10, 2022
Patent Number: 11325291
A tool for driving a threaded fastener includes a driver head, a motor, and an injector. The driver head includes a spindle rotatable about an axis. A distal end of the spindle defines a plurality of drive surfaces configured to engage mating drive surfaces on the fastener to rotate the fastener about the axis. The driver head defines a fluid passage having an outlet proximate to the distal end of the spindle. The motor is drivingly coupled to the spindle to rotate the spindle about the…

Anti-vibration driver assist

Granted: April 5, 2022
Patent Number: 11292516
A vehicle anti-vibration device includes a vibration sensor programmed to detect vibrations and output a vibration signal representing the vibrations detected. The device further includes a motor that vibrates in accordance with a vibration dampening signal, a communication interface programmed to wirelessly transmit the vibration signal to a remote device, and a processor programmed to process the vibration signal and generate the vibration dampening signal to dampen the vibrations…

Minimum quantity lubrication tool priming method

Granted: March 29, 2022
Patent Number: 11285575
A method of priming a minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) tool includes determining a category of the tool, supplying a short-prime MQL dosage if the tool is a first category or if both a second category and lubricated within a first predetermined timeframe, and supplying a long-prime MQL dosage if the tool is the second category and has not been lubricated within the predetermined timeframe. The category is based on internal passage complexity of the tool.

Method for evaluating an adhesive for a vehicular joint

Granted: March 22, 2022
Patent Number: 11281818
The present disclosure is directed toward a method that includes simulating, by an adhesive analytic model, transformation of at least one vehicular joint joined by a selected adhesive based on one or more system variables, and outputting, by the adhesive analytic model, an adhesive analysis identifying deformation for the selected adhesive along the at least one vehicular joint based on the simulated transformation and a deformation rating scale.

Methods of non-destructive residual stress measurement using barkhausen noise and use of such methods

Granted: March 15, 2022
Patent Number: 11274979
A method for determining residual stress in a selectively hardened parts including an unhardened region adjacent to a hardened region is provided. The method includes obtaining a Barkhausen Noise (BN) value for the unhardened region and selecting a corresponding absolute residual stress value from a correlation between BN values and absolute residual stress values. The selected absolute residual stress value accurately estimates the absolute residual stress in the hardened region of the…

Method and system for deconstructing and searching binary based vehicular data

Granted: March 8, 2022
Patent Number: 11269807
The present disclosure is directed toward a method and system for deconstructing and searching binary based vehicular data. The method includes extracting a vehicle filename metadata for one or more vehicular files; parsing data of the vehicular files to generate categorized objects based on a vehicular data dictionary for the vehicular files; associating each of the categorized objects with a respective vehicle filename metadata; storing vehicular documents indicative of the categorized…

Drone-based vehicle illumination

Granted: February 1, 2022
Patent Number: 11235876
A computer is programmed to deploy an aerial drone to fly within a specified distance of a first vehicle. The computer is programmed to detect a second vehicle and then activate an aerial drone light.

Methods and apparatus for vehicle HVAC control using portable devices

Granted: January 4, 2022
Patent Number: 11214119
Methods and apparatus for vehicle HVAC control are disclosed. A disclosed example apparatus includes a portable device interface of a vehicle, the portable device interface to be communicatively coupled with a portable device, a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) control system of the vehicle, where the HVAC control system is to be communicatively coupled to the portable device interface. The example apparatus also includes a processor to control the HVAC control system…

Methods for die trimming hot stamped parts and parts formed therefrom

Granted: December 14, 2021
Patent Number: 11198167
A method of forming a hot stamped, die quenched, and die trimmed part is provided. The method includes hot stamping and die quenching a blank with a quench die and forming a die quenched panel. The quench die includes at least one slow-cooling channel. The die quenched panel is die trimmed along the at least one localized soft zone that is adjacent a hard zone. The blank may be formed from a press hardenable steel (PHS), and the at least one soft zone may have a ferritic microstructure…

Method for manufacturing a membrane assembly for a fuel cell with catalyst free edge areas; membrane assembly and fuel cell with membrane assembly

Granted: December 14, 2021
Patent Number: 11201344
A method for manufacturing a membrane assembly for a fuel cell. To overcome a problem of chemical degradation at an edge of the membrane, the method comprises the following steps: positioning a first decal layer, which is made of the same material as a first catalyst layer, on a first side of the membrane, positioning a second decal layer, which is made of the same material as a second catalyst layer, on a second side of the membrane, pressing a compression pad, which is positioned on…

Hybrid quench process for hot stamping of steel parts

Granted: December 14, 2021
Patent Number: 11198915
A method of quenching a press hardenable steel is provided. The method includes an initial step of die quenching a part stamped within a stamping die followed by a partial quenching after the initial step of die quenching. In various methods, the press hardenable steel is a 36MnB5 grade steel and/or the initial step of die quenching is performed at a temperature of approximately 200° C.±10° C. in a die configured for 36MnB5 grade steel. At least one method further includes opening the…