Patents by Inventor Stephen M. Donecker

Stephen M. Donecker 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).

  • Intelligent ultra high speed distributed sensing system and method for sensing roadway markers for intelligent vehicle guidance and control
    Patent number: 6772062
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to sense both discrete and continuous magnetic reference systems installed in the roadway, and provide information to support lateral and, to some extent, longitudinal and vertical vehicle control and/or driver assistance. The position of an object, such as a vehicle, relative to a magnetic reference infrastructure, such as that representing a dividing line on a roadway, is determined by sensing, with a sensor associated with the object, at least one axial field strength component of the magnetic field emitted from the magnetic reference, computing a ratio of the sensed axial field strength components, and then determining the positional offset of the object as a function of the ratio. The lateral offset is independent of the magnetic field strength due to the use of the ratio which cancels out the magnetic field strength. The invention is also capable of providing three-dimensional positioning relative to a magnetic reference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2004
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Ty A. Lasky, Stephen M. Donecker, Kin S. Yen, Bahram Ravani
  • Intelligent ultra high speed distributed sensing system and method for sensing roadway markers for intelligent vehicle guidance and control
    Publication number: 20030046021
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to sense both discrete and continuous magnetic reference systems installed in the roadway, and provide information to support lateral and, to some extent, longitudinal and vertical vehicle control and/or driver assistance. The position of an object, such as a vehicle, relative to a magnetic reference infrastructure, such as that representing a dividing line on a roadway, is determined by sensing, with a sensor associated with the object, at least one axial field strength component of the magnetic field emitted from the magnetic reference, computing a ratio of the sensed axial field strength components, and then determining the positional offset of the object as a function of the ratio. The lateral offset is independent of the magnetic field strength due to the use of the ratio which cancels out the magnetic field strength. The invention is also capable of providing three-dimensional positioning relative to a magnetic reference.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 8, 2002
    Publication date: March 6, 2003
    Applicant: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
    Inventors: Ty A. Lasky, Stephen M. Donecker, Kin S. Yen, Bahram Ravani