Vehicle grille
Granted: May 27, 2008
Patent Number:
D569772
Lubrication system for differential mechanism
Granted: May 20, 2008
Patent Number:
7374507
A differential assembly includes a housing defining a space containing a volume of hydraulic fluid, the housing including interior surfaces. A gear that rotates in the housing includes surfaces that pass through the fluid as the gear rotates and on which the fluid is carried to the interior surfaces of the housing. A bearing located in the housing is supplied with fluid from a fluid path that hydraulically connects the interior surfaces and the bearing.
Location selection system and method
Granted: May 20, 2008
Patent Number:
7376483
Systems and methods to select a location to perform a process are provided. In at least one embodiment, a system receives tool data defining a tool including its location within a manufacturing facility and process data defining a process for assembling at least a portion of a vehicle. The system stores the tool data in memory. The system automatically determines whether the tool data satisfies a selected process definition. The system outputs a representation of the tool's location…
Vehicle headlight
Granted: May 13, 2008
Patent Number:
D569020
Vehicle headlight
Granted: May 13, 2008
Patent Number:
D569021
Temperature-based vehicle wakeup strategy to initiate fuel cell freeze protection
Granted: May 6, 2008
Patent Number:
7368193
A method of removing moisture from a fuel cell stack. The presence of liquid water in a fuel cell stack is especially undesirable should the temperature drop below freezing since the structures within the fuel cell are subject to degradation. One method includes measuring the temperature in the vicinity of a fuel cell vehicle when the fuel cell vehicle has been shut down and measuring the time elapsed since fuel cell vehicle shut off, and then flowing a moisture-removing medium through…
System for virtual prediction of road loads
Granted: April 29, 2008
Patent Number:
7363805
A system is provided for full-vehicle analytical road-loads prediction, which reduces the time and cost of modeling tires and tire-road interface, using road load simulations rather than actual measurements. The system includes a method to perform tire tests in a virtual environment, a road-load tire model for simulations in multibody environments; a tire model for FE simulations; and a comprehensive graphical user interface to support the user in all the steps of the analytical process.
Hall Effect sensor temperature compensator
Granted: April 29, 2008
Patent Number:
7365503
A system and method for compensating the output of an uncompensated Hall Effect sensor used to monitor an output shaft of an actuator. The actuator includes an output shaft, a magnet coupled to the output shaft, a motor for rotating the output shaft between a first position and a second position and an electronic control module having a controller, a diode and an uncompensated Hall Effect sensor.
Computer-implemented method and system for retroactive pricing for use in order procurement
Granted: April 22, 2008
Patent Number:
7363253
A computer-implemented method for determining retroactive price adjustments is disclosed. The method can include receiving a first initiation message including a first effective time period and/or a first new price for a part being supplied to a first plant. For the first initiation message, the method can include retrieving information pertinent to an at least one receipt received for the part within the first effective time period. For each receipt, the method can include determining a…
Apparatus for cleaning a machine tool
Granted: April 22, 2008
Patent Number:
7360271
An apparatus and a method for dislodging contaminants from a surface of a machine tool. A machine tool has a spindle and a housing disposed around the spindle. The apparatus includes a support plate, an arbor, and a cleaning member. The arbor is disposed on the support plate and is adapted to be attached to the spindle. The cleaning member is disposed on and extends from the support plate. The cleaning member contacts a surface of the machine tool to remove contaminants.
Vehicle front fender
Granted: April 22, 2008
Patent Number:
D567159
Method of time-in-service reliability concern resolution
Granted: April 15, 2008
Patent Number:
7359832
The present invention comprises a method determining a corrective design for a system component exhibiting time-in-service reliability concerns. The method comprises the steps of establishing a plurality of remote customer databases for collecting service data for a system component, receiving at a centralized database during a predetermined period of time at least one parameter representative of a failure rate for the system component based at least in part on the service data and…
Transmission having multiple ratio planetary gear unit in series with an auxiliary gear unit
Granted: April 8, 2008
Patent Number:
7354375
A multiple ratio transmission having a planetary primary gear unit producing forward ratios and a reverse ratio, and a planetary auxiliary gear unit in series with the primary gear unit producing a direct drive ratio and either an underdrive ratio or an overdrive ratio. The transmission produces six or seven forward ratios and two reverse ratios by combining the ratios of the primary and auxiliary gear units. Five friction clutches and brakes plus one one-way clutch control operation of…
Computer aided design associative design process
Granted: April 1, 2008
Patent Number:
7353147
A system and method for designing components through the use of a computer having a computer aided design (CAD) software enables a reduction in the occurrence of infinite looping. The method includes the step of identifying common areas between the components, wherein the components have a three-dimensional relationship through the use of the computer. Another step includes traversing the common areas with at least one parallel division plane through the use of the computer and trimming…
Rail to rocker joint using hydroformed members
Granted: March 25, 2008
Patent Number:
7347491
A process for connecting a hydroformed front rail member of an automotive frame to the body side inner (rocker) beam does not require a substantive re-design of the frame to accommodate an overlapping parallel orientation of two tubular frame members. The hydroformed front rail member is laser cut at the rearward end thereof to remove a portion of a side wall of the tubular member to form a C-shaped section. The front rail member is formed with a vertical dimension that provides a…
Method of embedding tooling control data within mechanical fixture design to enable programmable logic control verification simulation
Granted: March 18, 2008
Patent Number:
7346478
A method is provided of embedding tooling control data within a mechanical fixture design to enable programmable logic control verification simulation. The method includes the steps of constructing at least one of a mechanical fixture design, a workcell design, and a controls design. The method also includes the steps of executing a virtual programmable logic control (VPLC) simulation with a VPLC verification simulator to verify the at least one of the mechanical fixture design, the…
Method for assessing equity adequacy
Granted: March 18, 2008
Patent Number:
7346566
Risk-based method for assessing an automotive finance company's equity adequacy wherein sources of creditor protection comprises equity, reserves, net deferred tax liability in the event of an overall loss, future tax liability and lifetime profits. Potential unexpected worst-case losses for each of a plurality of exposures is estimated with 99.9% confidence and compared with the company's creditor protection to demonstrate the company's equity adequacy.
Method and system for assessing a refrigerant charge level in a vehicle air conditioning system
Granted: March 4, 2008
Patent Number:
7337619
A method and system for assessing a level of refrigerant in a vehicle air conditioning system. A refrigerant charge value is determined as a function of ambient air temperature, ambient air humidity, conditioned air temperature, and compressor cycling signals. The refrigerant charge value is compared to a threshold value to determine whether the level of refrigerant is acceptable.
Draw press with a fixed draw punch and a floating draw punch
Granted: March 4, 2008
Patent Number:
7337645
A machine is disclosed for producing a deep drawn part and a shallow drawn part from sheet metal blanks in a single action draw press. A floating draw punch and a fixed draw punch are provided. The first draw die forms a part that is drawn over the fixed draw punch while the second blank does not begin forming the second part until the floating draw punch bottoms out on the bed of the press. The floating draw punch moves with the binder ring until the additional draw depth required to…
Computer-implemented method and system for grouping receipts
Granted: February 5, 2008
Patent Number:
7325721
A computer-implemented method for summarizing receipts and grouping the receipts onto one or more invoices. The method includes receiving a number of receipts and a time period including a start date and an end date, summarizing the receipts in the number of receipts having an approval date in the time period to obtain a number of summarized receipts, and grouping the summarized receipts to obtain one or more grouped invoices based on two of a number of grouping rules, the number of…
