Abstract: A dragline includes a boom, a bucket, a hoist rope from which the bucket is suspended from the boom, and a drag rope for dragging the bucket. Data is produced on the alignment, with respect to a vertical plane containing the boom axis, of at least one of the following dragline components: i) the hoist rope; ii) the drag rope; iii) the boom; iv) the bucket. This data can be used for controlling the load condition on the basis of the dragline. The data can be inputted to a man-machine interface, e.g. a display device, controlled by a human operator, and/or it can be inputted to control the drive of the hoist rope and/or of the drag rope, so as to decrease or cease drive in response to detected misalignment of dragline component(s).

Abstract: A deceleration control apparatus and method for a vehicle, which performs deceleration control on the vehicle by an operation of a brake system which applies a braking force to the vehicle and a shift operation which shifts a transmission of the vehicle into a relatively low speed or speed ratio, performs the shift operation and the operation of the brake system such that a target deceleration set based on a curvature or curvature radius of a curve in a road ahead of the vehicle, a distance to the curve, and a vehicle speed, acts on the vehicle. As a result, a desired deceleration according to the distance to the curve is able to be applied to the vehicle.

Abstract: A control method is disclosed for maintaining a calibrated minimum load for an engine in a vehicle powertrain with an engine. The possibility of engine misfire due to low engine loads is reduced. Further, undesired high temperature of an engine exhaust gas catalytic converter due to prolonged operation of the powertrain at low engine loads is avoided.

Abstract: A navigation apparatus includes a memory that stores registered routes, wherein each registered route includes a previously traveled route, a corresponding starting point, and a corresponding destination point. The navigation apparatus includes a controller that searches for a route from a specified starting point to a specified destination point, compares the searched route with the registered routes, and utilizes, if a corresponding starting point is substantially identical to the specified starting point or a corresponding destination point is substantially identical to the specified destination point, a portion of a registered route including the substantially identical starting point or the substantially identical destination point as a navigation route.

Abstract: A method for transmitting environmental conditions information, comprising, receiving at least some environmental conditions data and/or information, scaling the received environmental conditions data and/or information such that a scaled environmental conditions value is determined for a particular vehicle, and transmitting, in response to a request for environmental conditions information, at least one of the data and/or information relating to the environmental conditions and the dynamic vehicle information.

Abstract: A telematics method comprising the steps of: using a device in a vehicle, obtaining data including at least location and at least one device parameter during a time period between vehicle assembly and delivery to a retail customer; transmitting the data to a remote station for processing; conditionally communicating an alert for the vehicle responsive to the device parameter; and conditionally communicating, response to the device parameter and additional device parameters from additional vehicles, an alert for at least one of (a) a vehicle assembly plant, (b) a vehicle dealer, (c) a vehicle distribution center and (d) a vehicle logistical support center.

Abstract: Terrain augmented display symbology improves a pilot's spatial awareness during aircraft approach and landing. The symbology includes a terrain-tracing, three-dimensional centerline that provides a visual cue of terrain elevations along an approach course to a runway. Additionally, the symbology includes terrain-tracing, three-dimensional lateral deviation marks representing deviations from the centerline. The symbology also includes an aircraft symbol shaped like an airplane and pointing towards the direction of travel. The pilot may be able to quickly interpret the terrain augmented display symbology and take actions based on the surrounding terrain elevation.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a data collection and evaluation system that includes a telematics device for collecting, time-stamping, and storing vehicle sensor data. Examples of the type of data collected include door data, ignition data, speed data, global positioning data, and diagnostic and trouble code data. The system further includes an external data acquisition device, such as a mainframe computer system or a hand-held computing device like an iPAQ. The external data acquisition device is configured to communicate with the telematics device over a wireless network, which enables the telematics device to transmit the time-stamped data to the external data acquisition device and receive information and instructions from the external data acquisition device.

Abstract: A method for controlling driving on a hill of an all-wheel drive vehicle, wherein vehicle acceleration is determined and the gravitational acceleration is measured. To improve the accuracy of the determination of the vehicle reference speed in all-wheel drive vehicles, the method comprises the following steps: determining the acceleration at the secondary axle (Tc4wdHaAcc) from one or both of the two wheel speeds, determining the deviation (Slope) between the acceleration at the secondary axle (Tc4wdHaAcc) and the measured acceleration (LoSenAcc), filtering the determined deviation (SlopFilt) with a time constant (T1Slope), comparing the deviation (Slope) with the filtered deviation (SlopFilt), determining driving situations representing the conditions ‘traction slip control is active’ or ‘traction slip control is not active’, and determining the slope in dependence on the comparison result and the driving situation.

Abstract: A base station is installed in a driver's house or the like where the precise position has been measured beforehand, includes a GPS antenna, a GPS receiver, and a wireless communication device, and functions to transmit various data to a vehicle serving as a moving station in a predetermined range. The vehicle has a GPS antenna, a GPS receiver, and a wireless communication device. When establishing communication between the base station and the moving station, if the current vehicle position generally matches any driving route created and stored in the storage unit earlier, automatic driving control is performed with the matching driving route serving as a target driving route. Conversely, if the current position of the vehicle matches no position on the driving routes created in the past even generally, the storage unit continuously stores the current driving route including the current position, as a new route to the destination.

Abstract: A vehicle braking force control apparatus detects a period of time from when a braking force of a brake device is cancelled until a vehicle body speed in the backwards direction of a vehicle on a hill reaches a predetermined state, determines a brake output according to the detected period of time, and controls braking pressure according to the determined brake output. The period of time depends on the gradient of the hill. Therefore, by determining the brake output according to this period of time, braking force control according to the gradient of the hill is made possible even at an extremely slow speed at which the vehicle speed is undetectable.

Abstract: Disclosed are a telematics terminal and a method for transmitting route guidance information data fitted to a receiving terminal. The method includes the steps of initializing operational conditions of a mobile communication terminal by transmitting device information of the telematics terminal to the mobile communication terminal when a connection between the telematics terminal and the mobile communication terminal is detected, receiving display performance information from the mobile communication terminal, creating route guidance data to be transferred to the mobile communication terminal for telematics services, selecting a route guidance region to be transferred to the mobile communication terminal from route guidance data based on the display performance information of the mobile communication terminal and reconstructing route guidance data for the selected route guidance region, and transmitting the reconstructed route guidance data to the mobile communication terminal.

Abstract: An intention estimation system and method with confidence indication for providing operation assistance based on an operator's intention. A current operation performed by the operator is detected, and data related to an estimated intention of the operator is generated based on the detected operation. A confidence index of the estimated intention of the operator is then determined. The confidence index indicates, for example, the reliability or strength of the estimated intention. An operation assistance may be provided based on the estimated intention and the confidence index.

Abstract: A method for monitoring and diagnosing errors of drive train components of a motor vehicle by monitoring a transmission route of a drive train control signal by reading an actual value of a monitored output signal at an output of the transmission route of the drive train control signal, determining by a calculation algorithm a nominal output value corresponding to the monitored output signal resulting from a check variable inserted into the transmission route before the output of the transmission route wherein the calculation algorithm is selected such that the nominal output value represents a value of the monitored output signal for the current value of the check variable, and performing a plausibility check of the monitored output signal by determining whether the actual output value is within an acceptable value of the nominal output value for the current value of the check variable.

Abstract: A method and device for ensuring the safety of a low-altitude flight of an aircraft is disclosed, wherein low-altitude flight is flight along a flight trajectory at low altitude, for example 500 feet, that allows an aircraft to follow as closely as possible the terrain being over-flown. To avoid collision with the terrain, a safety corridor, devoid of any obstacle, is determined which is delimited on either side of the lateral trajectory, and whose width depends on a global uncertainty, and the aircraft is guided along the flight trajectory, avoiding any exit of the aircraft from the safety corridor.

Abstract: A method for controlling a drive system in a motor vehicle having at least one electronic control device, which detects the accelerator pedal position as an input signal and therefrom, corresponding to a basic characteristic curve, determines a wheel torque desired by the driver, the control device receives information concerning the presence of wheel slip as another input signal and, when wheel slip is present, stores a limit torque. For an accelerator pedal position which is greater than the accelerator pedal position at which the wheel slip has occurred, the basic characteristic curve is changed in that the desired wheel torque is limited to the limit torque.

Abstract: A method and system are described to adapt instructions for performing a task by a user, which includes receiving generalized instructions for the task, selecting a content of the generalized instructions based on user-specific knowledge regarding the task, constructing utterances using the selected content, and conveying the utterances to the user.

Abstract: Automated calibration of an automatic transmission design generates upshift scheduling curves in a throttle level/transmission output speed plane based upon laboratory-generated data and user generated drivability data. Downshift scheduling curves and torque converter lock-up and unlock curves are then generated as offsets from breakpoints on corresponding upshift curves, the offsets determined principally from the drivability data.

Abstract: A method for measuring and aligning front and rear wheels of a four wheel vehicle, including measuring alignment properties of the front wheels, and correcting alignment properties of the rear wheels if all of the measurements of the alignment properties of the front wheels are substantially equal to the manufacturer-specified alignment properties for the front wheels. If all of the measurements of the alignment properties of the front wheels are not substantially equal to the manufacturer-specified alignment properties for the front wheels, then the alignment properties of the front wheels are corrected prior to correcting alignment properties of the rear wheels. The measurements of the alignment properties can be made using a computer-aided, three-dimensional machine vision alignment apparatus.

Abstract: A programmable mobile terminal which includes a thumb wheel for selecting among a plurality of functions executable by the mobile terminal. The programmable mobile terminal allows a user to employ the same hand that is holding the mobile terminal to scroll through and select a function among a plurality of functions via the thumb wheel. The wheel portion of thumb wheel is rotated either clockwise or counter clockwise by the user's thumb or other finger to scroll a screen cursor through the functions and once the screen cursor of the mobile terminal is positioned at a desired function, the user can depress the wheel portion in a transaxial direction with the same thumb or finger to select the desired function. Also, the programmable mobile terminal allows a user to scan bar code information and use the thumb wheel for selecting among a plurality of functions relating to the scanned bar code information.