Patents Examined by Martin Weeks
  • Patent number: 9988057
    Abstract: A method for determining the mass m of a motor vehicle, in particular a commercial vehicle, is based on the principles of power mechanics. In order to determine the vehicle mass in a simple way as accurately as possible while driving, a speed v of the motor vehicle is determined and a drive power PA of the motor vehicle is determined. The mass m of the motor vehicle can then be determined from the speed v and the drive power PA. A device applies such a method, and a motor vehicle includes such a device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: WABCO GmbH
    Inventors: Nikolai Flaum, Torsten Wallbaum
  • Patent number: 9983592
    Abstract: A moving robot configured to generate a map of an environment of a territory and allow a user to set a structure of the territory and information on the map used for a location-based service and to use a more intuitively intelligent service is provided. The moving robot includes an operation performer configured to move around a territory and perform a certain operation, a detector configured to collect map building information of the territory, and a controller configured to control the moving robot to move to a set particular area within the territory by referring to the map information of the territory generated based on the collected map building information and control the operation performer to perform the operation with respect to the particular area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Soon-hyuk Hong, Jung-wook Kim, Nikolay Burlutskiy, Seung-young Shin
  • Patent number: 9978284
    Abstract: An approach is provided for generating maneuver plans for one or more vehicles. A maneuvering platform processes location information, context information, or a combination thereof associated with a vehicle to determine at least one cell of a wireless communication network associated with a current location of the vehicle. The maneuvering platform further assigns the vehicle to a cluster associated with the at least one cell based on an establishment of a communication link between an access node associated with the vehicle and the at least one cell, an association between the current location of the vehicle, the access node associated with the vehicle, or a combination thereof and a geographic coverage range of the at least one cell or a combination thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: HERE Global B.V.
    Inventors: Norbert Riedelsheimer, Alexander Kroller
  • Patent number: 9945684
    Abstract: Frequency-based direction guidance is disclosed. In some implementations, a navigation system leverages frequent location information to filter navigation directions that are presented to a user of a navigation device. If a destination is a frequent location, the navigation system filters the navigation directions so that navigation directions associated with the destination are not presented to the user. If a departure location is a frequent location, the navigation system filters the directions so that directions associated with the departure location are not presented to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Nikhil Bhatt, Ravi Nikhil Bhatt, Mira Nicole Bhatt
  • Patent number: 9945951
    Abstract: An object detecting apparatus includes an emission unit that emits measurement light to a monitoring area in a travelling direction a vehicle, the monitoring area being widened radially in a vehicle width direction; a photoreceptor unit that receives reflected light of the measurement light from a plurality of directions in the monitoring area; a detection unit that detects a distance to an object in each direction in the monitoring area, based on a time difference from emission of the measurement light to reception of the reflected light; and a determination unit that identifies the object detected by the detection unit. The determination unit determines whether there is a probability of the detected object being a hill, based on a change of the detected distance in the vehicle width direction among the directions in the monitoring area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: OMRON AUTOMOTIVE ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masakazu Tobeta, Yoshio Matsuura
  • Patent number: 9937955
    Abstract: A vehicle controller includes a follow travel instructor conducting a lead vehicle follow control by auto-steering for a following of an own vehicle to follow a lead vehicle, an other vehicle information obtainer obtaining transmitted information transmitted from the lead vehicle, the transmitted information including information regarding a front situation of the lead vehicle, and an across-boundary move determiner determining whether the lead vehicle may cross a traffic lane boundary to an opposite traffic lane, based on the front situation information of the lead vehicle obtained by the other vehicle information obtainer. The follow travel instructor stops conducting the lead vehicle follow control based on a determination by the across-boundary move determiner that the lead vehicle may cross the traffic lane boundary. In such manner, an occupant of the own vehicle is prevented from becoming frightened by the auto-steering.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yusuke Ueda, Junichiro Funabashi
  • Patent number: 9937936
    Abstract: A method and system monitor coupler fatigue by determining an upcoming fatigue metric representative of fatigue that is to be experienced by a coupler configured to connect plural vehicles in a vehicle system, determining whether a failure metric of the coupler during the upcoming trip exceeds a designated failure threshold (where the failure metric is based on the upcoming fatigue metric), and, responsive to determining that the failure metric exceeds the designated failure threshold, one or more of notifying an operator of the upcoming fatigue metric, displaying one or more of the upcoming fatigue metric or the failure metric, changing a driving plan for controlling movement of the vehicle system during the upcoming trip, and/or changing a characteristic of the vehicle system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: James D. Brooks, Harry Kirk Mathews, Jr., Gabriel de A. Gleizer
  • Patent number: 9916672
    Abstract: A branching and merging determination apparatus includes a recognizer and a determiner. The recognizer recognizes a target present in front of an own vehicle. The determiner determines, based on a result of the recognition of the target by the recognizer, presence or absence of branching and merging of roads. Specifically, the determiner is configured to: estimate a traveling section where branching or merging of roads is probably present; and determine that no branching or merging of roads is present in a region of the estimated traveling section where there is a preceding vehicle traveling at a higher speed than the own vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Satoshi Osanai, Naoki Kawasaki, Syunya Kumano
  • Patent number: 9896154
    Abstract: A device is provided for regulating an assistance power of a bicycle fitted with an electrical power assistance machine. The device includes a rotation-sense detector, a speed sensor, and a central electronic controller. The detector is arranged to detect a sense of rotation of pedals of the bicycle. The speed sensor is arranged to measure a speed of a wheel of the bicycle. The central electronic controller is configured to calculate a total power of the bicycle from the measured speed, and to determine a power setpoint of an electric motor from the calculated total power, the sense of rotation of the pedals, and a power assistance factor selected by a cyclist of the bicycle. A method for regulating an assistance power of an electric power-assisted bicycle also is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN
    Inventor: Ivan Modolo
  • Patent number: 9889868
    Abstract: Disclosed is a railway wireless sensor network system. The railway wireless sensor network system includes a plurality of sensors which are included in a railway vehicle and measure an operation state of the railway vehicle in real time, a plurality of routers which receive information on the measured operation state through a dedicated channel with each sensor, and a gateway which receives information on the operation state through a dedicated channel between the routers, and periodically transmits information on the received operation state to a railway vehicle control center.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
    Inventors: Young Il Kim, Geon Min Yeo, Jae Hoon Kim
  • Patent number: 9886672
    Abstract: A fuel economy calculator system for a vehicle including a fuel cell, a diagnostic port, and an ECU, the fuel economy calculator system includes a dongle configured to connect with the diagnostic port to enable the dongle to establish a wired communication link with the ECU, and a wireless device including a display unit, a memory storing program instructions and capacity data of the fuel cell, and a processor. The processor is configured to execute the program instructions to establish a link between the ECU and the wireless device, to receive a data set from the ECU via the connected dongle each time the ECU generates engine change state data, the data set including at least mileage data and remaining fuel data, to calculate fuel economy data of the vehicle based on the capacity data, a most recent data set, and a next most recent data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignees: Bosch Automotive Service Solutions Inc., Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventor: William W. Wittliff
  • Patent number: 9884555
    Abstract: A vehicle having a wading sensor may include a control unit adapted to implement an alternative or modified vehicle control strategy during wading. The wading strategy may change many vehicle functions, alone or in combination, and may be further responsive to depth of wading.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited
    Inventors: Thuy-Yung Tran, Edward Hoare, Nigel Clarke
  • Patent number: 9884631
    Abstract: Arrangements relating to the transitioning of a vehicle between operational modes are described. The vehicle can transition between a first operational mode and a second operational mode. The second operational mode has a greater degree of manual involvement than the first operational mode. For instance, the first operational mode can be an unmonitored autonomous operational mode, and the second operational mode can be a monitored autonomous operational mode or a manual operational mode. It can be determined whether an operational mode transition event has occurred while the vehicle is operating in the first operational mode. In response to determining that an operational mode transition event has occurred, a time buffer for continuing in the first operational mode before switching to the second operational mode can be determined. A transition alert can be presented within the vehicle. The transition alert can represent the determined time buffer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignees: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Michael R. James, Katsuhiro Sakai, Toshiki Kindo, Danil V. Prokhorov, Masahiro Harada
  • Patent number: 9881508
    Abstract: An aircraft ground collision detection system comprising: an object detection device for mounting on an aircraft and arranged to detect objects and output the location of each detected object; and a processor arranged to: receive the ground speed of the aircraft and the heading of the aircraft and the detected location of each detected object; predict the aircraft's path based on the ground speed and the heading; compare the predicted aircraft path with the object locations; and output an alert based on the overlap or proximity of the predicted aircraft path with the object locations. By predicting the path of the aircraft based on detected ground speed and heading, the system can accurately assess which detected objects pose a collision threat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Atlantic Inertial Systems Limited
    Inventor: Mark Silver
  • Patent number: 9863780
    Abstract: A mapping program for execution by at least one processing unit of a device is described. The mapping program selects a traffic segment defined in a first data structure describing congestion in an area of a map. The mapping program identifies a portion of a road in the map area that corresponds to the traffic segment by using a second data structure to correlate the traffic segment in the first data structure to the road that is defined in a third data structure. The mapping program defines a traffic congestion representation to render for the identified road portion, based on data about the corresponding road in the third data structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Uros Prestor, J. Paul McCabe
  • Patent number: 9865102
    Abstract: A system and method to preserve the integrity of data being extracted from an electronic data recorder (“EDR”) of an electronic control module (“ECM”) makes use of a forensic link adapter and, optionally, a sensor simulator (when ECM is out of the vehicle). The forensic link adapter has one or more first microprocessors and a first software means which prevent any message being sent by an external network from corrupting the previously recorded data measurements. The data measurements are then extracted, verified, and stored in a separate file. The sensor simulator has one or more second microprocessors, a second software means, and a bank of resistors that mimic sensors normally in communication with the ECM. The simulator “tricks” the ECM into thinking it is still in the vehicle by using the replicating vehicle system values the ECM normally sees when in the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: The University of Tulsa
    Inventors: Jeremy Daily, James Johnson, Andrew Kongs, Jose Corcega
  • Patent number: 9857795
    Abstract: A trajectory planning system for an autonomous vehicle fits a jerk profile including a plurality of phases within a set of acceptable parameters, a jerk value being constant within each phase of the jerk profile. The system parameterizes the jerk profile based on an initial velocity, an initial acceleration, a final velocity, and a final acceleration for the first segment. The system then integrates the jerk profile to determine a first trajectory function, the first trajectory function including a speed for the vehicle at a given time. The system guides the vehicle along the first segment of the path according to the first trajectory function. The system detects an unplanned obstacle along the first segment of the path. The system plans a second trajectory function for a second segment of the path between a current location of the vehicle and a location on the path before the unplanned obstacle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Rakesh Gupta, Robert Cofield
  • Patent number: 9851213
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a big data-based method or system for recommending electric vehicle (EV) charging stations with the shortest charge waiting time, which comprises a driving information receiving unit for receiving a charging station search request, and information about estimated discharge time and a current location from an electric vehicle; a charging station information receiving unit for receiving power consumption data from charging stations in real time; a charge waiting time calculation unit for receiving the power consumption data from the charging station information receiving unit, and, in response to a charging station search request, calculating charge waiting time of the charging stations on the basis of their power consumption; and an optimal charging station providing unit for receiving the information about the estimated discharge time and current location from the driving information receiving unit, and receiving the charge waiting time from the charge waiting time calculatio
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: I-ON Communications Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jae Cheol Oh, Kyoung Seok Paik
  • Patent number: 9851217
    Abstract: Disclosed is a navigation device which extracts an entrance and exit section which exists ahead of a vehicle and in which a vehicle is permitted to make a lane change between an HOV lane and a normal lane on the basis of information about the position of the vehicle and map data in which the HOV lane and the normal lane are defined by a single link, extracts a branch point on the HOV lane existing ahead of the vehicle on the basis of the map data and the position information, determines a guidance time for the extracted entrance and exit section, and another guidance time for the branch point, and provides guidance notifying that the vehicle can exit the HOV lane or guidance notifying that the vehicle can enter the HOV lane at the guidance time, or provides guidance on the branch at the other guidance time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Kumi Nishibashi, Takashi Irie
  • Patent number: 9845014
    Abstract: A system control method is provided for measuring a distance between a smart key and a vehicle. When the distance between the smart key and the vehicle is changed based on a predetermined distance whether a hydrogen leak occurs is detected by a hydrogen sensor detection controller. A driver is then informed of a hydrogen leak via a display on a cluster, a turn-on of an emergency light, and a warning sound of the vehicle. Alternatively, a starting-impossible state of the vehicle or shutting-down starting of the vehicle is maintained to ensure safety measures based on the concentration of the leaking hydrogen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Sang Hyun Kim, Ji Hyun Shim, Ki Ho Hwang, Hyung Ki Kim