Patents Assigned to SMR Patents S.à.r.l.
  • Patent number: 11400860
    Abstract: A image detection and classification system for a vehicle includes a first display, a second display, an image capturing unit for capturing an image and displaying the image on at least one of the first display and the second display, and an image processing unit configured to process the captured image to improve a clarity of the captured image in response to the captured image having an obstruction value exceeding a threshold obstruction value. A method for operation of the image detection and classification system is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: SMR Patents S.à.r.l.
    Inventors: Firas Mualla, Andreas Herrmann
  • Patent number: 11370359
    Abstract: In accordance with the teachings described herein, a rearview device for a vehicle is provided that includes a moveable head assembly; a base assembly to be fixed to the vehicle; an actuator assembly; and a cradle configured to attach the actuator assembly to the moveable head assembly and/or the base assembly and a vehicle with such a rearview device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: SMR Patents S.à.r.l.
    Inventors: Andrew Lettis, Graham Rehill, Callum Scott-Collins
  • Patent number: 11358470
    Abstract: A method for operating a display device for a motor vehicle, in particular for an autonomously or partially autonomously operable motor vehicle, which includes a plurality of display areas, wherein a display area is selected from the plurality of display areas on the basis of a configuration of the motor vehicle that is adjustable by a driver of the motor vehicle. A motor vehicle includes a control device for implementing such a method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: SMR Patents S.à.r.l.
    Inventors: Romeo Wieczorek, Stefanie Göttlicher, Ilka Rötzer
  • Patent number: 11325534
    Abstract: An assembly includes a head assembly for an external rear view device to be attached to a motor vehicle, a lower casing element, an upper casing element, an articulation assembly, a bezel assembly for carrying at least one rear view element, and a hinge connection between the bezel assembly and a first sub assembly provided by at least the lower casing, the articulation assembly and attachment means with the articulation assembly being mounted on the attachment means or the attachment means being mounted on the articulation assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: SMR Patents S.à.r.l.
    Inventors: Andrew Lettis, Callum Scott-Collins, Graham Rehill
  • Patent number: 11305733
    Abstract: A wiping device for an optical device with a lens includes a surface, such as a curved or calotte-shaped surface, where the wiping device has a wiping element for wiping the surface of the lens free from water and dirt particles with at least one passage channel and at least one outlet channel which branches off from the passage channel in order to guide cleaning fluid onto the surface of the lens. In addition, a rear view device for a motor vehicle with an optical device includes such a wiping device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: SMR Patents S.à.r.l.
    Inventors: Andreas Herrmann, Ilka Rötzer
  • Patent number: 11305696
    Abstract: An external rearview device for a motor vehicle includes a housing, and one or more of at least one light emitting or a receiving device, including one or more of at least one light producing device or at least one camera device arranged within the housing, and at least one at least partially transparent element closing an opening provided by the housing, the at least partially transparent element being provided in form of a first module attached to the housing, and the one or more of the light producing device or the camera device being provided in form of a second module attached to the first module, the first module and the second module being mechanically releaseably coupled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: SMR Patents S.à.r.l.
    Inventors: Steve Horne, Andrew Lettis, Graham Rehill, Andreas Herrmann
  • Patent number: 11273764
    Abstract: An external rearview device for a motor vehicle includes a base assembly provided for arrangement on the motor vehicle; a head assembly configured to be attached to the base assembly; rearview means including at least one of a camera unit and a reflective element secured within the head assembly, the head assembly configured to be detachable and selected from a set comprising a first head assembly with a first rearview means including at least one reflective element and a second head assembly with a second rearview means including at least one reflective element, and a camera unit configured to obtain a rearview image through the reflective element, and a third head assembly with a third rearview means including the camera unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: SMR Patents S.à.r.l.
    Inventors: Andrew Lettis, Graham Rehill, Callum Scott-Collins, Andreas Herrmann, Arne Schmierer, David Simon Field, Francis Charlet
  • Patent number: 11260831
    Abstract: A wiper device for a small and curved surface such as a spherical surface of an optical element includes at least one elongate wiper element with two ends, two drive units to which the ends of the wiper element are attached so that the wiper element can be moved on the surface of the optical element using the two drive units, and at least one contacting means for bringing the wiper element into contact with a surface of the optical element, the contacting means shapes the wiper element around at least that part of the surface which is exposed to the environment due to an opening provided by the housing and is to be cleaned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: SMR Patents S.à.r.l.
    Inventor: Henrik Schäfer
  • Patent number: 11256931
    Abstract: A method for displaying and processing an image captured by an optical system used to simulate a rear-view system of a vehicle, includes capturing the image, calculating a region of interest (ROI) on the captured image, calculating a blur factor for blurring the ROI using one or more inputs, manipulating an image gradient pixel by pixel using the blur factor to reduce at least one of a brightness or a contrast of one or more pixels of the ROI, and displaying the processed image on a display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: SMR Patent S.à.r.l
    Inventors: Andreas Herrmann, Martin Schwalb, Frank Linsenmaier, Oliver Eder, Ilka Rötzer, Thomas Jochmann, Firas Mualla, Maximilian Kauffmann, Thorsten Steder
  • Patent number: 11230228
    Abstract: A pivot detent system acts between two components that rotate with respect to one another around an axis to control rotation from a first set position to at least a second set position with each of said two components including a cylindrical section and a resilient means being arranged within a cylindrical space between the cylindrical sections to act between the two components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: SMR Patents S.à.r.l.
    Inventors: Callum Scott-Collins, Andrew Lettis
  • Patent number: 11220217
    Abstract: A rearview device for a motor vehicle includes a moveable head assembly, an actuator assembly having a fixed part and a moveable part, the moveable part being attached to the head assembly, a motor cradle configured to attach the actuator assembly to the moveable head assembly. A method of assembling a rearview device comprises providing the rearview device and attaching the actuator assembly to the moveable head assembly using the motor cradle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: SMR Patents S.à.r.l.
    Inventors: Andrew Lettis, Graham Rehill, Callum Scott-Collins
  • Patent number: 11180085
    Abstract: An exterior rearview device includes a base suited to be fixed to a vehicle, a head mounted on the base, at least one of a mirror and a display attached to the head and at least one of a camera and an illumination device attached to the base, a locking system with a locked state and an unlocked state, where the head is removable from the base in the unlocked state, and the locking system is suited to be actuated by a driver of the vehicle to switch between the locked and the unlocked state, and vice versa. A vehicle includes the at least one exterior rearview device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: SMR Patents S.à.r.l.
    Inventor: Philipp Hottmann
  • Patent number: 11180088
    Abstract: A mounting assembly for an attachment device of a vehicle includes receiving or holding means on a rearview device of the vehicle, the receiving or holding means being adapted so that the attachment device can be fixed by means of at least one fixing means of the attachment device in operative connection with at least one complementary fixing means of the receiving or holding means, where at least one of the at least one fixing means of the attachment device or the receiving or holding means is configured to be in operative connection, where after fixation, the attachment device cannot be released from the fixing means without destruction, and at least one of the at least one fixing means of the attachment device or the complementary fixing means of the receiving or holding means includes at least one of a clip, an undercut and a latch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: SMR Patents S.à.r.l.
    Inventors: Andreas Herrmann, Ilka Rötzer
  • Patent number: 11178338
    Abstract: An imaging system for a vehicle for obtaining an anti-flickering super-resolution image includes an image sensor adapted to obtain a sequence of images, and an image processor adapted to receive the sequence of images, compare image information of a most recent image of the sequence of images to a reference image to detect at least one image region of mismatch in the most recent image, remove the detected image region from image information of the most recent image to obtain adjusted image information, and add the adjusted image information of the most recent image to a super-resolution image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: SMR Patents S.à.r.l.
    Inventor: Kai Uwe Hagenburg
  • Patent number: 11173839
    Abstract: A camera module for use in a vehicle includes a camera for capturing a surrounding of the vehicle, and which is configured to move from a retracted position to a deployed position, a camera lens forming a housing or part of the housing around the camera, a camera holder which carries the camera and the surrounding camera lens, and a drive system including a motor for moving the camera from the retracted position to the deployed position or from the deployed position to the retracted position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: SMR Patents S.à.r.l.
    Inventors: Douglas Wilson, Vincent Wilson
  • Patent number: 11161457
    Abstract: A pivotable interior rearview device for a motor vehicle includes a mirror surface provided by at least one of a reflective element and a display element, a first sensor device suitable for a light propagation time measurement for detecting at least one gesture by a driver of the motor vehicle incidence of light on the mirror surface, a switching device for switching the display element on and off, a pivoting device for pivoting the mirror surface from a normal position into at least one dimming position in which dazzling of the driver by light reflected in the mirror surface is reduced, and a control unit for controlling at least one of the switching device and the pivoting device. A method of using the rearview device is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: SMR Patents S.à.r.l.
    Inventors: Romeo Wieczorek, Peter Hein, Ilka Rötzer, Andreas Herrmann
  • Patent number: 11142127
    Abstract: A pivot joint system of a rear view device includes a base to be fixed to a vehicle and a head rotatable relative to the base, the pivot joint system acting between two components that rotate with respect to one another around an axis to control rotation from a first set position to at least one second set position, with each of the two components including a cylindrical section and a resilient means being arranged within a cylindrical space between said cylindrical sections to act between the two components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: SMR Patents S.à.r.l.
    Inventors: Callum Scott-Collins, Andrew Lettis
  • Patent number: 11117522
    Abstract: A positioning system for a rear view display device includes at least a first gear rod for positioning a cover plate, a second gear rod for positioning the cover plate, a spring jack, and a position sensing means. The first gear rod, the second gear rod, and the spring jack may include conductive material. The spring jack may be adapted to contact the first gear rod and the second gear rod. The position sensing means may be adapted to sense the position of the first gear rod relative to the spring jack with at least a first resistance value of a first conductive path between at least a first point on the first gear rod and the spring jack varying with the position of the first gear rod relative to the spring jack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: SMR Patents S.à.r.l.
    Inventors: Romeo Wieczorek, Artem Rudi
  • Patent number: 11117521
    Abstract: A rear view assembly for a rear view device of a vehicle includes a rear view element, a carrier plate for the rear view element, and a heating and lighting unit arranged between the rear view element and the carrier plate. The heating and lighting unit may include a light module including a printed circuit board having at least one LED and having no power stripes, and a heater pad. The heater pad may include a circuit or printed circuit board, at least one recess or at least one transparent window, and first contacts or contact elements for contacting a printed circuit board of the light module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: SMR Patents S.à.r.l.
    Inventors: Andrew Brian Little, Gottfried Sailer, Andreas Hermann, Douglas Wilson, Anthony D'Andreas, Bernd Sülzle
  • Patent number: 11112873
    Abstract: A method of operating a display device for a motor vehicle having a plurality of display areas includes providing a plurality of non-contact input operations where a first non-contact input operation of a user is detected and verified by a second non-contact input operation of the user in order to select at least one display element on a first display area, and at least one third non-contact input operation of the user is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: SMR PATENTS S.À.R.L.
    Inventors: Romeo Wieczorek, Stefanie Göttlicher, Ilka Rötzer