Patents by Inventor Ralph David Schlottke
Ralph David Schlottke has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 11952037Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatus are provided for providing multi-trailer reverse assistance. In a multi-trailer reverse assistance system in an articulated transport system comprising a lead vehicle, an intermediate trailer, and a final trailer, the reverse assist system includes a controller. The controller is configured to: receive a view of an environment behind the final trailer; cause the view to be displayed in a display screen of a user interface device; receive, via a secondary steering device of the user interface device, a user intended direction of travel of the articulated transport system in reverse to direct the final trailer in a desired direction; continuously calculate controllable steering angles for directing the articulated transport system to direct the final trailer in the desired direction; and control the articulated transport system to direct the final trailer in the desired direction using the calculated controllable steering angles.Type: GrantFiled: April 12, 2022Date of Patent: April 9, 2024Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventors: Avesta Goodarzi, Ralph David Schlottke, Manvir Dulai, Michael D. Alarcon, Halit Zengin
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Publication number: 20240029318Abstract: Vehicles and methods for augmenting rearview displays for vehicles are provided. An exemplary method is provided for augmenting a rearview display for a vehicle having a gate moveable between a closed configuration and an opened configuration. The method includes collecting dynamic pixel images of an area behind the vehicle using a camera connected to the vehicle. Further, the method includes, in response to a command, displaying graphical overlays to the collected dynamic pixel images on a display screen, via a processor, wherein the graphical overlays depict an outline of the gate and/or projected path of the gate in the opened configuration.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 21, 2022Publication date: January 25, 2024Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventors: Yun Qian Miao, Norman J. Weigert, Ralph David Schlottke
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Patent number: 11864073Abstract: A method for enabling a V2V communications link between a trailer and a first tow vehicle including receiving a towing system activation control signal, transmitting a tow vehicle request, receiving a first tow vehicle response including a first tow vehicle location and a first tow vehicle identifier, determining a first distance between the first tow vehicle and the trailer, and enabling the V2V communications link in response to the first distance being less than a threshold distance.Type: GrantFiled: April 12, 2022Date of Patent: January 2, 2024Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventors: Todd J. Brinkman, Ralph David Schlottke, Curtis L Hay, Priya B. Abraham
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Patent number: 11862904Abstract: Systems, Methods, and Apparatuses are provided for monitoring cable connections between a trailer and vehicle. The system includes a monitoring device disposed within the vehicle; and a trailer cable and a breakaway trailer cable that provide a set of cable connections, the monitoring device is configured to: monitor the set of cable connections from connection data generated by a set of multimodal sensors integrated with the vehicle about statuses of the cable connections between the trailer and the vehicle; initiate a monitor function upon detection of a presence of the trailer connected to the vehicle by at least one sensor of the set of multimodal sensors integrated with the vehicle; and determine the statuses of the cable connections by fusing together using an information fusion algorithm one or more types of signal data from the set of multimodal sensors comprising optical signal data, radio signal data, and range signal data.Type: GrantFiled: November 30, 2021Date of Patent: January 2, 2024Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventors: Alaa M. Khamis, Yun Qian Miao, Ralph David Schlottke
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Publication number: 20230406312Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for controlling thermal conditioning of a battery system associated with brakes of a vehicle towing a trailer. In one embodiment, a method includes: determining, by a processor, that a temperature of the battery system is outside of a defined temperature range; determining, by the processor, a delta value between a brake request and a battery charge limit; generating, by the processor, a control signal to at least one of a heater and a compressor of the vehicle based on the delta value; generating, by the processor, a control signal to the battery system to initiate regeneration braking; and generating, by the processor, a braking reduction request to reduce braking by the trailer.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 17, 2022Publication date: December 21, 2023Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventors: Abbas Mohammed, Matthew Stephen Zebiak, Fahim Javid, Dhruv Patel, Steven Aiuto, Ralph David Schlottke
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Publication number: 20230339439Abstract: In exemplary embodiments, methods and systems are provided for controlling braking of a trailer that is coupled to a vehicle. In an exemplary embodiment, a system is provided that includes: one or more sensors configured to obtain sensor data for a vehicle coupled to a trailer, the sensor data including: a measure of engagement of a brake pedal of the vehicle; and a deceleration of the vehicle; and a processor that is coupled to the one or more sensors and that is configured to at least facilitate dynamically controlling braking of the trailer, via instructions provided by the processor to a braking system of the trailer, based on both the measure of engagement of the brake pedal and the deceleration of the vehicle.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 20, 2022Publication date: October 26, 2023Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventors: Manvir Dulai, Michael Alarcon, Ralph David Schlottke
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Publication number: 20230328490Abstract: A method for enabling a V2V communications link between a trailer and a first tow vehicle including receiving a towing system activation control signal, transmitting a tow vehicle request, receiving a first tow vehicle response including a first tow vehicle location and a first tow vehicle identifier, determining a first distance between the first tow vehicle and the trailer, and enabling the V2V communications link in response to the first distance being less than a threshold distance.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 12, 2022Publication date: October 12, 2023Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventors: Todd J. Brinkman, Ralph David Schlottke, Curtis L. Hay, Priya B. Abraham
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Publication number: 20230322301Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatus are provided for providing multi-trailer reverse assistance. In a multi-trailer reverse assistance system in an articulated transport system comprising a lead vehicle, an intermediate trailer, and a final trailer, the reverse assist system includes a controller. The controller is configured to: receive a view of an environment behind the final trailer; cause the view to be displayed in a display screen of a user interface device; receive, via a secondary steering device of the user interface device, a user intended direction of travel of the articulated transport system in reverse to direct the final trailer in a desired direction; continuously calculate controllable steering angles for directing the articulated transport system to direct the final trailer in the desired direction; and control the articulated transport system to direct the final trailer in the desired direction using the calculated controllable steering angles.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 12, 2022Publication date: October 12, 2023Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventors: Avesta Goodarzi, Ralph David Schlottke, Manvir Dulai, Michael D. Alarcon, Halit Zengin
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Publication number: 20230170652Abstract: Systems, Methods, and Apparatuses are provided for monitoring cable connections between a trailer and vehicle. The system includes a monitoring device disposed within the vehicle; and a trailer cable and a breakaway trailer cable that provide a set of cable connections, the monitoring device is configured to: monitor the set of cable connections from connection data generated by a set of multimodal sensors integrated with the vehicle about statuses of the cable connections between the trailer and the vehicle; initiate a monitor function upon detection of a presence of the trailer connected to the vehicle by at least one sensor of the set of multimodal sensors integrated with the vehicle; and determine the statuses of the cable connections by fusing together using an information fusion algorithm one or more types of signal data from the set of multimodal sensors comprising optical signal data, radio signal data, and range signal data.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 30, 2021Publication date: June 1, 2023Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventors: Alaa M. Khamis, Yun Qian Miao, Ralph David Schlottke