Patents Assigned to MAGNA ELECTRONIC INC.
  • Patent number: 12001213
    Abstract: A vehicular trailer assist system includes a plurality of vehicle cameras disposed at a vehicle, a trailer camera disposed at a rear portion of a trailer and viewing at least rearward of the trailer, and an electronic control unit (ECU) having a processor operable to process image data captured by the cameras. A display screen displays images of a region rearward of the trailer and includes a touch screen. Responsive to a touch input that is representative of a target location, the ECU, via processing of image data captured by the cameras, determines a path of travel for the vehicle and trailer to follow to maneuver the vehicle and trailer toward the target location. The ECU, responsive to an input indicative of an updated target location, updates the path of travel for the vehicle and trailer to follow to maneuver the vehicle and trailer toward the updated target location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2024
    Assignee: MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Jyothi P. Gali, Richard C. Bozich, Nikhil Gupta, Daniel W. Hodgman, Timothy M. Phillips, Clarence P. McElroy
  • Patent number: 11997371
    Abstract: A vehicular vision system includes a camera module mounted at an in-cabin side of a windshield of a vehicle. The camera module includes a windshield-interfacing portion that, with the camera module mounted at the in-cabin side of the windshield, interfaces with the in-cabin side of the windshield. A thermally conductive tape is disposed at the windshield-interfacing portion. A thermally conductive connecting element thermally conductively connects to (i) the thermally conductive tape and (ii) at least one component of the camera module. When electrically operated, the at least one component generates heat at an interior portion of the camera module and heat generated by the at least one component of the camera module is dissipated at the windshield of the vehicle via the thermally conductive connecting element and the thermally conductive tape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2024
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Nagender Reddy Kasarla
  • Patent number: 11997392
    Abstract: A vehicular camera module includes a main circuit board electrically connected with an imager circuit board having an imager disposed thereat. The vehicular camera module includes a housing having an upper cover and a lower cover that are joined together. Electronic circuitry disposed at a main printed circuit board of the main circuit board includes an image processor. The electronic circuitry disposed at the main printed circuit board of the main circuit board includes an electrical connector configured for electrical connection to a connector of a vehicular wire harness. With the imager operated to capture image data, captured image data is provided via a flexible ribbon cable to the electronic circuitry disposed at the main printed circuit board of the main circuit board. The imager is disposed within a rear portion of the housing and is not accommodated within a front portion of the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2024
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Jianguo Wang, Garret Achenbach, Ove Salomonsson, Tom H. Toma, Edward R. Ahlquist, Jr., Brian J. Winden, Christopher L. Van Dan Elzen
  • Patent number: 11989902
    Abstract: A vehicular trailer beam estimation system includes a camera disposed at a rear portion of a vehicle equipped with a trailer hitch. With a trailer hitched at the trailer hitch of the vehicle, the camera views at least a portion of the trailer hitched to the vehicle. The system, responsive at least in part to processing by an image processor of image data captured by the camera, determines a trailer angle of the trailer relative to the vehicle. During a driving maneuver, the system tracks trailering parameters, which include (i) the trailer angle, (ii) steering angle of the vehicle and (iii) speed of the vehicle. The system determines beam length of the trailer based at least in part on (i) the trailering parameters, (ii) the vehicle's wheelbase and (iii) hitch length of the trailer hitch of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2024
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Mohammadmehdi Jalalmaab, Jyothi P. Gali
  • Patent number: 11981329
    Abstract: A vehicular control system includes a plurality of cameras disposed at an equipped vehicle. As the equipped vehicle travels forward along a traffic lane of a multi-lane highway, the system, responsive at least in part to processing of image data captured by a forward-viewing camera, detects a leading vehicle traveling forward in the traffic lane that the equipped vehicle is traveling along. The system, responsive at least in part to processing of image data captured by a left-side camera or a right-side camera, detects another vehicle traveling forward in another traffic lane of the multi-lane highway that is adjacent to the traffic lane along which the equipped vehicle is traveling. With the equipped vehicle operating in accordance with SAE Level 3, the system controls the equipped vehicle without driver intervention to maneuver into the other traffic lane ahead of the detected other vehicle to pass the detected leading vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2024
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Martin Rachor
  • Patent number: 11975659
    Abstract: A vehicular camera monitoring system a driver-side camera, a driver-side video display screen disposed at a driver-side cabin region of an interior cabin of the vehicle, a passenger-side camera and a passenger-side video display screen disposed at a passenger-side cabin region of the interior cabin of the vehicle. Upon completion of a parking maneuver of the vehicle, and until a period of time elapses following powering down of the vehicle upon completion of the parking maneuver of the vehicle, the driver-side video display screen displays driver-side video images of a driver-side region sideward of the driver side of the vehicle and rearward of the vehicle and the passenger-side video display screen displays passenger-side video images of a passenger-side region sideward of the passenger side of the vehicle and rearward of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Niall R. Lynam, Yuesheng Lu
  • Patent number: 11975660
    Abstract: A vehicular vision system includes a camera module configured for mounting at an in-cabin portion of a windshield of a vehicle and including a circuit board and a camera that views forward of the vehicle and through the windshield. The camera includes a CMOS imaging sensor array. A data processor is operable to process image data captured by the CMOS imaging sensor array. Image data captured by the CMOS imaging sensor array is encoded by a data encoder chip. Image data captured by the CMOS imaging sensor array that is encoded at the data encoder chip is carried as a data stream from the camera module to the data processor via a cable. Communication via the cable between the camera and the data processor is bidirectional. The data processor is located in the vehicle remote from the camera module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Ove J. Salomonsson, Christopher L. Van Dan Elzen
  • Patent number: 11978263
    Abstract: A method for determining a safe state for a vehicle includes disposing a camera at a vehicle and disposing an electronic control unit (ECU) at the vehicle. Frames of image data are captured by the camera and provided to the ECU. An image processor of the ECU processes frames of image data captured by the camera. A condition is determined via processing at the image processor of the ECU frames of image data captured by the camera. The condition includes a shadow present in the field of view of the camera within ten frames of image data captured by the camera or a damaged condition of the imager within two minutes of operation of the camera. The ECU determines a safe state for the vehicle responsive to determining the condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Horst D. Diessner, Richard C. Bozich, Aleksandar Stefanovic, Anant Kumar Lall, Nikhil Gupta
  • Patent number: 11971475
    Abstract: A vehicular radar sensing system includes at least one radar sensor having a plurality of transmitting antennas and a plurality of receiving antennas. Individual transmitting antennas are arranged in multiple rows, and individual receiving antennas are arranged in multiple columns. The multiple rows of transmitting antennas include first and second rows of transmitting antennas, each row having at least four transmitting antennas. Each column of the multiple columns of receiving antennas comprises at least four receiving antennas. The multiple columns of receiving antennas are disposed between the first row of transmitting antennas and the second row of transmitting antennas. The vehicular radar sensing system applies two dimensional multiple input multiple output processing to outputs of the receiving antennas. The vehicular radar sensing system, responsive to processing of outputs of the receiving antennas, detects objects present in a field of sensing of the at least one radar sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Holger Hess, Joern Ihlenburg
  • Patent number: 11972597
    Abstract: A vehicular occupant monitoring system includes a camera disposed at an interior rearview mirror of a vehicle. The camera includes an imaging array sensor and a lens. The lens is disposed at the imaging array sensor with a center axis of the lens vertically offset from a center region of the imaging array sensor. A center region of the lens is disposed at and images at a lower region of the imaging array sensor when the camera is disposed at the interior rearview mirror and an upper peripheral region of the lens images at the center region and a lower region of the imaging array sensor when the camera is disposed at the interior rearview mirror. The vehicular occupant monitoring system, responsive to processing by the image processor of image data captured by the camera, determines presence of an occupant of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Marc Rother, Jonathan D. Conger, Steven V. Byrne, Zhongyao Liu
  • Patent number: 11972615
    Abstract: A vehicular control system includes a camera, a radar sensor and a processor operable to process image data captured by the camera and radar data captured by the radar sensor. Responsive at least in part to determination that the equipped vehicle will not complete a turn at an intersection before an estimated time to arrival of a detected approaching vehicle at the intersection elapses, the system determines that it is not safe to proceed along the projected path of travel. The system determines that it is safe for the equipped vehicle to proceed along the projected path of travel responsive at least in part to (i) determination that the equipped vehicle will complete the turn at the intersection before the estimated time to arrival of the approaching vehicle at the intersection elapses and (ii) determination that no object is present in the projected path of travel of the equipped vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Rohan J. Divekar, Paul A. VanOphem
  • Patent number: 11970113
    Abstract: A vehicular vision system includes a forward-viewing camera located behind and viewing through a vehicle windshield, a rearward-viewing camera located at a rear of the vehicle, and a common image processor operable for processing captured image data. A video display screen is located within the interior cabin of the vehicle viewable by a driver of the vehicle. The common image processor processes first image data captured by the forward-viewing camera to detect at least one vehicle present exterior the equipped vehicle. Responsive to the vehicle being shifted into a reverse gear and while the driver is executing a reversing maneuver, video images derived from image data captured by at least the rearward-viewing camera are displayed by the video display screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew D. Weller, Mark L. Larson, Ian A. McCabe, Niall R. Lynam, Rodney K. Blank, Joseph P. McCaw, John T. Uken
  • Patent number: 11964617
    Abstract: A vehicular vision system includes a camera module having a housing that houses at least (i) electronic circuitry disposed at a main printed circuit board (PCB) and (ii) an imager assembly. The imager assembly includes an imaging array sensor, an imager PCB and a lens holder that includes an elongated lens barrel that houses at least one lens. Electronic circuitry is disposed at an upper side and at a lower side of the main PCB. Image data captured by the imaging array sensor is conveyed to electronic circuitry disposed at the main PCB. An electronic component of electronic circuitry disposed at the main PCB is in thermal conductivity with a thermal element, which is in thermal conductivity with a lower housing portion of the housing to enhance heat transfer from the electronic component to the lower housing portion of the camera housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Garret F. Achenbach, Brian A. Gorman, Brian F. Smith, Steven G. Gebauer
  • Patent number: 11967098
    Abstract: A vehicular trailer angle detection system includes a camera disposed at a rear portion of a vehicle. The system determines, via processing of frames of image data captured by the camera, features of a trailer present rearward of the vehicle and hitched to the vehicle by determining features that have similar position changes between a current frame of image data captured by the camera and a previous frame of image data captured by the camera. Responsive to movement of the trailer relative to the vehicle, and via processing of captured frames of image data, the system tracks determined features over multiple captured frames of image data for different positions of the trailer relative to the vehicle. The system determines angle of the trailer relative to the vehicle based at least in part on tracking of determined features of the trailer over multiple captured frames of image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Horst D. Diessner, Jyothi P. Gali, Nikhil Gupta, Hilda Faraji, Galina Okouneva, Akinyele O. Ikuseru
  • Patent number: 11968639
    Abstract: A vehicular control system includes a first electronic control unit (ECU) and a second ECU disposed at a vehicle. The first and second ECUs are in digital communication with one another via a communication link. The first ECU transmits a first frame to the second ECU, which, responsive to receiving the first frame from the first ECU, transmits a second frame to the first ECU. The first ECU, responsive to receiving the second frame from the second ECU, determines a propagation delay based on an amount of time between when the first ECU transmitted the first frame to the second ECU and when the first ECU received the second frame from the second ECU. The first ECU, responsive to determining the propagation delay, transmits a time synchronization frame to the second ECU that is based at least in part on the determined propagation delay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Gaurav Shrikant Patil
  • Patent number: 11964691
    Abstract: A vehicular vision system includes a camera and a radar sensor disposed at the equipped vehicle. The system includes an electronic control unit (ECU) and, as the equipped vehicle travels along a road, the ECU, via processing of image data and processing of sensor data, determines other vehicles present on the road ahead of the equipped vehicle. The ECU, responsive to determining the presence of a plurality of other vehicles present on the road, fuses the image data captured by the camera and the sensor data captured by the radar sensor. The ECU, based on the fused data, determines a threat level for each vehicle of the plurality of other vehicles and, when the threat level for one or more vehicles of the plurality of other vehicles exceeds a threshold value, generates a braking command. The ECU transmits the braking command to a braking system of the equipped vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Venkata Satya Siva Prasad Challa, Nikunj Vinubhai Kumbhani
  • Patent number: 11964689
    Abstract: A vehicular trailer guidance system includes a human machine interface provided in the vehicle and operable by a driver of the vehicle during a backing up maneuver of the vehicle with a trailer hitched thereto. The human machine interface comprises a rotary knob and operates (i) in a backing up trailer left-backup mode when rotated counter-clockwise, (ii) in a backing up trailer straight-backup mode when the rotary knob is pushed or pulled and (iii) in a backing up trailer right-backup mode when rotated clockwise. Responsive to selection by the driver of the backup mode, the system sets a desired trailer angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle to an angle that is commensurate with a driver-selected setting of the rotary knob. The system controls steering of the vehicle to back up the trailer to have the determined trailer angle coincide with the set desired trailer angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Yuesheng Lu, Jyothi P. Gali
  • Patent number: 11958424
    Abstract: A vehicular safety feature control system includes a camera disposed at a vehicle that views exterior of the equipped vehicle. The vehicular safety feature control system includes an electronic control unit (ECU) for processing image data captured by the camera to detect presence of objects. The ECU, responsive to processing of image data captured by the camera, detects an object on a collision course with the equipped vehicle. The ECU, responsive to detecting the object on the collision course with the equipped vehicle, classifies the detected object. The ECU estimates a mass of the detected object based on the classification. The ECU estimates a kinetic energy of a potential collision and, based on the estimated kinetic energy of the potential collision, estimates a severity of the potential collision. The ECU controls a safety feature of the equipped vehicle based on the estimated severity of the potential collision.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Eser Ustunel
  • Patent number: 11951900
    Abstract: A vehicular forward viewing image capture system includes an accessory module configured for attachment at an in-cabin side of a windshield of a vehicle. While the vehicle is traveling along a road, multiple frames of captured image data are processed at a data processor to determine movement of an object of interest present in a field of view of the CMOS image sensor. The vehicular forward viewing image capture system is provided with vehicle data via a vehicle communication bus. With the accessory module attached at the in-cabin side of the windshield of the vehicle, image data captured by the CMOS image sensor and vehicle data provided via the vehicle communication bus are processed. With the accessory module attached at the in-cabin side of the windshield of the vehicle, captured image data is processed to determine a road condition of the road ahead of the equipped vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventor: Kenneth Schofield
  • Patent number: 11951993
    Abstract: A vehicular driver monitoring system includes a camera and an electronic control unit. The camera is disposed at an interior rearview mirror assembly of the vehicle. The system detects changes at the driver's eyes via processing of image data captured by the camera and determines driver attentiveness based at least in part on detected changes at the driver's eyes. The system functions as a remote Photoplethysmography (rPPG) system. Based at least in part on the determined driver attentiveness, and responsive to monitoring the heart rate of the driver, the system determines impairment of the driver's capability to operate the vehicle. The system generates an alert responsive to (i) determination, via the rPPG system, that the driver's heart rate changes greater than a threshold change over a predetermined period of time and/or (ii) determination, via processing of image data captured by the camera, that driver attentiveness is below a threshold level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Yuesheng Lu