Patents Examined by Paul A Castro
  • Patent number: 10501076
    Abstract: A method for operating an off-road speed control system of a vehicle is provided. The method comprises identifying a pattern or change in at least one component of vehicle drag. The method further comprises monitoring vehicle speed to predict where a change in the at least one component of vehicle drag may result in a speed overshoot event or a speed undershoot event. The method still further comprises, in response to the predicted speed overshoot event or speed undershoot event, automatically commanding the application of an appropriate opposing torque to one or more wheels of the vehicle to counteract the predicted speed overshoot or undershoot. An off-road speed control system for a vehicle comprising an electronic control unit (ECU) configured to perform the above-described methodology is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited
    Inventors: James Kelly, Andrew Fairgrieve, Daniel Woolliscroft
  • Patent number: 10457257
    Abstract: Disclosed relates to a driving support apparatus including at least: a detection unit that detects a driving lane on which a user's vehicle and a front vehicle located in front of the user's vehicle are driving based on image data output from a camera; a first calculation unit that calculates a second front vehicle width for the front vehicle based on a first front vehicle width for the front vehicle measured on the image data, a first driving lane width for the driving lane measured on the image data, and a second driving lane width predetermined according to a characteristic of the driving lane; and a second calculation unit that calculates a distance from the front vehicle based on a focal length of the camera, the first front vehicle width, and the second front vehicle width, thereby precisely measuring the distance from the front vehicle based on camera image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: MANDO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jae Hyun Han, Oh Cheol Heo
  • Patent number: 10424208
    Abstract: A navigational aid method of an aircraft, carried out by a flight management system, for comparing a reference trajectory of the aircraft subjected to a wind vector field with a new trajectory between the same starting and end points, respectively, the method comprises: determining the reference trajectory, determining the new trajectory, loading meteorological data, determining a directional surface, delimited by a directional closed curve, consisting of the new trajectory, from the starting point to the end point, closed by the opposite of the reference trajectory from the end point to the starting point, determining a wind curl on the basis of the wind vector field, determining a flow of the wind curl through the surface, a positive value of flow indicating that the new trajectory makes better use of the wind load, a negative value of flow indicating that the new trajectory makes less effective use of the wind load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: THALES
    Inventors: Christophe Pierre, Rémy Auletto, Benoît Dacre-Wright
  • Patent number: 10401875
    Abstract: A system and method of controlling a position of a structure. A position command indicating a desired position for the structure and a position feedback signal indicating the position of the structure are received. A position control signal is generated based on a difference between the desired position and the position indicated by the position feedback signal. A stop feedback signal relative to the position of the structure is received. A stop control signal is generated based on the stop feedback signal and a stop condition for the structure. One of the position control signal and the stop control signal is selected. The selected one of the position control signal and the stop control signal is provided to an actuator for controlling the position of the structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventor: Gen Matsui
  • Patent number: 10379533
    Abstract: A system and method for providing routing instructions to one or more autonomous vehicles includes identifying a destination of an autonomous vehicle; identifying a starting position or an initial location of the autonomous vehicle; receiving autonomous vehicle sensor data; receiving one or more routing goals for a routing plan for the autonomous vehicle; generating one or more route modification parameters; and generating a route plan for the autonomous vehicle based on (a) the destination, (b) the starting position or the initial location, (c) the one or more route modification parameters and (d) the one or more routing goals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Solomon Bier, Brooks Reed, Ian Rust, Drew Allyn Gross, Matthias Wisniowski, Kevin Chu
  • Patent number: 10365115
    Abstract: An approach is provided for determining an alternative route based on status information of a traffic signal and/or attributes associated with a road segment. The approach involves determining status information for the at least one traffic signal based, at least in part, on a determination that at least one vehicle is within at least one distance threshold. The approach also involves causing, at least in part, a calculation of at least one alternative route based, at least in part, on the status information for the at least one traffic signal, one or more attributes associated with at least one road segment, or a combination thereof. The approach further involves causing, at least in part, a comparison of estimated time of arrival by the use of the at least one alternative route, at least one original route, or a combination thereof to determine at least one recommended route.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy
    Inventors: Prasanth Nair, Reshmi Nair
  • Patent number: 10366604
    Abstract: A system for displaying information to drivers of taxis in an operating region that has a plurality of popular destinations includes a display device fixed within each taxi. The display device includes a plurality of selectable information screens that are each adapted to display information received by a transceiver of the display device. A dispatch information system is adapted to transmit dispatching data of the operating region to the display devices of each taxi. A queue information device associated with each of the popular destinations is adapted to transmit queue information to the dispatching information system. Preferably at least one of the selectable information screens includes a map of the operating region, which may be separated into different grids each having a queue length aggregate indicator that indicates the average load time of all of the taxi queues of the popular destinations within that grid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Inventor: Robert Joseph Bermudez
  • Patent number: 10339413
    Abstract: A warning sign placing apparatus and a control method thereof are provided. The warning sign placing apparatus includes at least two camera units, a control unit, and a vehicle. The camera unit captures a plurality of images in a preset direction. The vehicle carries at least two camera units and control unit. The control unit identifies a traveling direction of the road and distinguishes at least one object on the road based on the images, and plans a route along the road for the vehicle according to the at least one object, where the vehicle travels along the route. A warning sign is configured in the warning sign placing apparatus and is able to automatically move to a preset position with a preset distance in order to avoid the risk of dangers in a case of manually placing the warning sign.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: Wistron Corporation
    Inventors: Po-Liang Huang, Chia-Chang Hou
  • Patent number: 10336318
    Abstract: A vehicle parking assist system includes at least one processor configured to establish communication with a parking automation system external to a vehicle to assist in a parking maneuver. The parking automation system includes at least one sensor to provide a measured distance value from an object to the vehicle. The processor is further configured to control a brake system of the vehicle based on the measured distance value via the sensor. The processor is further configured to control the vehicle to come to a stop based on the measured distance value being less than a first predefined threshold via the brake system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Sudipto Aich, Casey Bryan Feldman, Jamel Seagraves, Yonathan Redda
  • Patent number: 10328800
    Abstract: A system for use with a motor vehicle, the system including a gas sampler device including a wireless communication subsystem and an input element configured to receive a gas sample. The system further includes an interlock device including a second wireless communication subsystem and a computing device configured to: determine a location of the gas sampler device within the motor vehicle based on proximity of the wireless communication subsystem, and activate an alarm event in dependence of the location of the gas sampler device within the motor vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: Alcohol Countermeasure Systems (International) Inc.
    Inventors: Denise L. Connerty, Felix J. E. Comeau
  • Patent number: 10304331
    Abstract: An approach is provided for determining tunnel speed for a vehicle travelling through a tunnel. A tunnel processing platform aggregates probe data associated with at least one vehicle into at least one tunnel path based, at least in part, on a network geometry topology for at least one tunnel. The tunnel processing platform also designates at least one probe point collected upstream of the at least one tunnel as at least one starting point of the at least one tunnel path and at least one temporary probe point as at least one endpoint of the at least one tunnel path, wherein the at least one temporary probe point is downstream of the at least one tunnel. It then determines at least one temporary tunnel speed for the at least one tunnel path based, at least in part, on the timestamp for the at least one probe point and the current time associated with the at least one temporary probe point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: HERE Global B.V.
    Inventors: James Fowe, Finn Swingley
  • Patent number: 10302669
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for estimating speed and/or velocity for a portable device using an optical sensor. The optical sensor may capture a plurality of samples to be processed to estimate speed. The speed or velocity may be estimated based on a determined context and/or usage of the portable device. The estimated speed or velocity may be used to supplement other navigational solutions or may be used independently.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: InvenSense, Inc.
    Inventors: Amr Al-Hamad, Bashir Kazemipur, Jacques Georgy, Zainab Syed, Christopher Goodall
  • Patent number: 10295357
    Abstract: Various embodiments relate to techniques of providing route guidance along a planned route leading through at least one intersection. Predetermined attributes for a respective transition through the at least one intersection are retrieved from a database, the attributes specifying at least a curved path modelling a geometrical form of the transition. The curved path is displayed in a map view for route guidance along a planned route.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: HARMAN BECKER AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS MGBH
    Inventor: Marek Strassenburg-Kleciak
  • Patent number: 10272919
    Abstract: Methods and systems for determining road surface information in a vehicle. In one embodiment, the method includes: determining at least one condition assessment value based on steering data; determining a feature set to include at least one of self-aligning torque (SAT), slip angle, SAT variance, steering rate, and lateral acceleration based on the condition assessment value; processing steering data obtained during a steering maneuver and associated with the feature set using a pattern classification technique; and determining a surface type based on the processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, LLC
    Inventors: Youssef A. Ghoneim, Qingrong Zhao, Qi Zhang, Bakhtiar B. Litkouhi, Yingmei Si, David M. Sidlosky, Valarie V. Boatman, Sami Ahmed
  • Patent number: 10260900
    Abstract: Provided herein is a method, apparatus and computer program product for the generation of a route. In particular, the method may include receiving a plurality of trace points, where each of the plurality of trace points includes location information, receiving a distance tolerance value for each trace point, generating a first portion of a route using a first subset of the plurality of trace points, generating a second portion of the route using a second subset of the plurality of trace points, and concatenating the first portion of the route with the second portion of the route to generate a route. Generating the first portion of the route or the second portion of the route may optionally include removing a trace point that is less than a proximity tolerance distance away from a trace point immediately preceding the removed trace point in sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: HERE Global B.V.
    Inventors: Wolfgang Becker, Markus Kopp
  • Patent number: 10240928
    Abstract: Systems and methods for predictive health monitoring of gyroscopes and accelerometers are provided. In one embodiment, a system comprises: a plurality of navigation devices each comprising at least one gyroscope or accelerometer and at least one predictive health monitoring module, wherein the at least one predictive health monitoring module collects diagnostic parameters from the at least one gyroscope or accelerometer; and at least one server communicatively coupled to the plurality of navigation devices, the at least one server configured to receive the collected data from the plurality of navigation devices and analyze the collected data from the plurality of navigation devices to determine a service prognosis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventor: Alan Bruce Touchberry
  • Patent number: 10207723
    Abstract: A suspension system for a railway vehicle includes a hub assembly configured to travel along a track, a suspension element coupled to the hub assembly and configured to provide a suspension force, a regulator coupled to the suspension element and configured to selectively adjust the suspension element, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to determine a target configuration for the suspension element using a characteristic of the track at a target position, the target position selected based on a location of the railway vehicle, and engage the regulator based on the target configuration such that the suspension force applied by the suspension element is based on the location of the railway vehicle and the characteristic of the track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2019
    Assignee: Elwha LLC
    Inventors: Roderick A. Hyde, Jordin T. Kare, Lowell L. Wood, Jr.
  • Patent number: 10183680
    Abstract: A mobile terminal and a method for controlling an application for a vehicle are provided. The mobile terminal includes an acceleration sensor configured to detect a motion of the mobile terminal, a magnetic sensor configured to detect a magnetic field, a first control unit configured to determine whether the detected motion and the detected magnetic field correspond to a pre-defined condition of entering a vehicle, and output a signal according to the determination, and a second control unit configured to execute the vehicle application based on the signal received from the first control unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kyung Soo Lim, Hyuk Kang, Sang Don Kim
  • Patent number: 10173653
    Abstract: Method and system for determining a pressure/volume characteristic curve of a wheel brake in a motor vehicle brake system having an electrically controllable pressure supply device connected hydraulically to wheel brakes and can output a pressure medium volume for activating the wheel brakes. The pressure medium volume which is output by the pressure supply device can be determined. An electrically actuable inlet valve per wheel brake disconnects the connection between the wheel brake and the pressure supply device. During one or more service brake operations of the motor vehicle wheel brakes are activated by the pressure supply device, the pressure medium volume output by the pressure supply device in order to activate the wheel brakes is determined and the pressure/volume characteristic curves of the wheel brakes are determined on the basis of pressure medium volumes output by the pressure supply device during one or more service braking operations are determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. oHG
    Inventor: Harald Biller
  • Patent number: 10169927
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for presenting information pertaining to the health of one or more mechanical components of a vehicle. One exemplary method involves a client device initiating an ad hoc wireless connection with a monitoring system onboard the vehicle, requesting status information for the vehicle from the monitoring system via the ad hoc wireless connection, and receiving the status information for the vehicle from the monitoring system via the ad hoc wireless connection. The monitoring system generates the status information based at least in part on measurement data obtained from one or more sensor systems during operation of the vehicle and provides the status information in response the request. The client device processes the status information present the one or more graphical representations of the current condition of the one or more mechanical components of the vehicle on the client device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: David Daniel Lilly, Charles Kemp