International Truck Intellectual Property Company, LLC

Caterpillar Inc.

Erik C Wilson

Eric J Hanson

Marcey Collins

Joseph F Denatale

Gregory C Miller

Samuel D Wagoner

Patrick E Temple

Sandeep Premkumar

Paul X Buescher

Kim Hemme

James R Therrien

Susan M LaBounty

Jerry Connett

Eric DeView

Gary C Bryant

Robert B Riggs

Brian P Marshall

Erik K Nelson

Thomas R Graham

David V Rodgers

Kurt A Ringger

Patrick J Mattes

George McCowan

Brian J Jacquay

Stanton E Miller

David M Gerst

Douglas Edward Davis

Lawrence D Hasfjord

SanJeev Vij

Joe F DeNatale

Yogesh D Aundhkar

John Swenson

Atul P Khanapurkar

Eric A DeView

Chad M Conley

Marianne Connett, Legal Representative

Narasimha D Gupta

Sudhakar Thamodharan

Chris L Wilson

Greg C Miller

Trevor W Harrison

George C A McCowan

An oil make-up system for an engine of a machine includes an oil pan for supplying oil to engine components, an auxiliary oil tank positioned above the oil pan, a return including a return pump for conveying oil from the oil pan to the auxiliary oil tank, a supply including a supply pump for conveying oil from the auxiliary oil tank to the oil pan, and a siphon-terminating-connection between the supply and return.

Oil make-up system with siphon mitigation

An interchangeable passenger seat for a vehicle having a seat-mounting surface includes a base frame having at least one end member attachable to the seat-mounting surface of the vehicle, and at least one cross-member extending generally perpendicularly from the end member. At least one back frame is removably attachable to the base frame. An adaptor bracket is disposed around the cross-member. The adaptor bracket has a plurality of locating structure along the length of the adaptor bracket for selectively locating and attaching components of passenger restraint systems.

Bus seating system

A method of attaching a seat cushion to a seat frame includes the steps of providing a spring latch having a spring portion and a brace portion, engaging a spring leg of the spring portion with the seat frame, attaching a cushion engaging leg of the brace portion to the seat cushion, and receiving a brace leg of the brace portion into a lock formation on a locking leg of the spring portion.

Spring latch and method for attaching a seat cushion to a seat frame

A method and an attachment clamp for attaching a seat belt to a seat frame of a bus seat are provided. The attachment clamp includes at least one upper arm having at least one slot disposed through the at least one upper arm. The attachment clamp includes at least one lower arm that is received within the at least one slot of the at least one upper arm. A receiving channel is defined by the at least one upper arm and the at least one lower arm. The receiving channel is configured to receive the seat frame. The upper arm and the lower arm are pivotable with respect to each other and are fastenable to each other.

Seat belt attachment clamp and method

The present disclosure sets forth a composite headlight assembly which increases the visibility and sight afforded to the driver of a vocational truck using such a composite lighting assembly. A composite lighting assembly includes a low beam light and a high beam light, as well as a turn signal and a parking light within one composite housing. As the overall size of the housing is limited by the size of the grill of the vehicle, the present disclosure increases the visibility and sight afforded to the driver by taking advantage of the untapped space within known composite headlight assemblies. More specifically, the turn signal and parking light may include a downwardly depending trapezoidal appendage increasing the overall area of the turn signal and parking light by at least ten percent.

Vocational truck headlight assembly

Fender of a truck

Hood of a truck

A modular seat frame for a school bus seat includes riser assemblies for supporting the seat fabricated from a moldable material reinforced locally by attachment and reinforcement members.

Injection mold seat riser for modular school bus seats

The invention involves a seat system with a movable and immovable portions that may be maintained and still operate during transients as required under the federal regulations. There is a quick release serviceability latch for a school bus passenger seat with integrated restraints. The inner and outer seat backs must be quickly detached from one another to facilitate repair or replacement of damaged seat components. A movable plunger is rigidly attached to the inner seat back frame. Another bracket with hole to accept the plunger is rigidly attached to the back pan of the outer back. The attachment of inner to outer seat backs must be strong enough so that they can't be pulled apart by hand but at the same time be detachable in the event of a crash. A tab that engages the plunger separates upon a rapid deceleration event.

School bus passenger seat with integrated restraints

A transmission and gearshift communication sub-system that includes a gearshift , a transmission and transmission controller , and a common data bus . The gearshift communicates with the transmission controller to change gears or mode of operation of the transmission for automatic transmissions over the common data bus. Such communication is by a standard communication protocol that may be the SAE J1939 protocol. Vehicle control system comprises an electrical system controller (ESC) , which is the primary component of a vehicle electronic control system. ESC manages a number of vocational controllers disposed on a vehicle and executes a load management program which oversees the total load imposed on the vehicle electrical system and power train by various accessories installed on the vehicle. Most active vehicle components are directly controlled by one of a group of autonomous, vocational controllers, which include a gauge cluster , an engine controller , a transmission controller , an auxiliary instrument and switch bank , an antilock brake system (ABS) controller , and the gearshift all of which are connected to ESC over the common data bus which may be a serial data bus or link

Gear shifter to transmission interface and control sub-system

A method of operating a retarder control system for a drivetrain retarder such as an engine compression brake of a heavy-duty truck vehicle is disclosed. The method of operation includes three novel subsets each of which controls the operational state and the resistance level at which the drivetrain retarder is operated dependent at least partially upon one or more factors including speeds of one or more drivetrain components, vehicle speed, rotational speed of one or more undriven wheels, position of a brake control member, elapsed time of activation of a brake control member and/or elapsed time from a change in a selected resistance level at which the retarder control system is commanded to effect operation of the drivetrain retarder.

Method and system for controlling a drivetrain retarder

A shift control is provided that pulls a cable when the handle is moved rearward. The shift control can be used as an integrated shift control for shifting the gears of an automatic transmission and actuating a park locking system. In the preferred embodiment the shift control pulls the cable in tension when a park pawl locking system is disengaged.

Transmission shift control

An automotive vehicle steering column ( ) and adjustment system has a telescope adjustment mechanism for adjusting the fore-aft position of the steering wheel ( ) to the driver of the vehicle and a tilt adjustment mechanism for adjusting steering wheel inclination. Each adjustment mechanism includes a respective motorized linear actuator ( ). A force feedback system operates the actuators and includes telescope and tilt sensors ( ) for sensing telescope and tilt adjustment forces externally applied to the steering wheel by the driver during adjustment of steering wheel position. A controller ( ) is responsive to the sensors for operating the actuators to position the steering wheel in directions of adjustment corresponding to the directions of telescope and tilt forces applied by the driver. Adjustment motion stops when the externally applied forces causing the motion cease.

Steering column adjustment system using force feedback system

Growing community of inventors

Decatur, IN, United States of America

Erik C Wilson