Patents Assigned to Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
  • Publication number: 20230019969
    Abstract: A head up display assembly includes an optical system (52) and a transmissive display. A light source is configured to projected a light through the transmissive display. A diffuser (64) is located between the optical system and the transmissive display (62).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2021
    Publication date: January 19, 2023
    Applicant: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Cashen, Andreas H Buechel, George E. Kachouh, Eugen Vetsch
  • Publication number: 20230014188
    Abstract: A method for determining a location of a trailer in an image includes obtaining at least one real-time image from a vehicle. The at least one real-time image is processed with a controller on the vehicle to obtain a feature patch describing at least one real-time image. A convolution is performed of the feature patch and each filter from a set of filters with the filter being based on data representative of known trailers. A location of a trailer is determined in the at least one real-time image based on the convolution between the feature patch and each filter from the set of filters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2021
    Publication date: January 19, 2023
    Applicant: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Eduardo Jose Ramirez Llanos, Dominik Froehlich, Brandon Herzog, Ibro Muharemovic
  • Publication number: 20230009184
    Abstract: A brake assembly slide clip includes a base section. A clamping portion extends from the base section and includes a base clamping section, an inner axial holding tab and an outer axial holding tab which extend from opposed sides of from the base clamping section. A lower section extends from the base section. A tangential section extends from a second side of the lower section. An active retraction element extends from the tangential section and provides a surface against which the brake pad is disposed. The active retraction element includes a plurality of curved portions each being curved in a single direction. The active retraction element is movable in a first axial direction responsive to a brake pad force against the retraction element surface, and resiliently returns following removal of the force so as to move the brake pad in a second axial direction opposite the first axial direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2020
    Publication date: January 12, 2023
    Applicant: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Klaus-Peter Tiefenbach, Stefan Josef Baier, Joshua Michael Frieden
  • Patent number: 11548388
    Abstract: A pointer for a gauge or an instrument cluster assembly is provided. The pointer is formed of a light conducting material. In one form, indicia are disposed about the axis of rotation and/or on a surface, the plurality of indicia configured to be selectively illuminated by the pointer. A second end of the pointer may be configured to be selectively rotated adjacent to each indicium of the plurality of indicia and to illuminate the indicia when the light guide pointer is disposed adjacent to the indicia. The second end may be wider than a first end of the pointer. In some variations, the pointer may have a fan shape, and the indicia may be configured as tick marks defining a bar graph. In some forms, opaque material may be disposed on the pointer, the opaque material defining a plurality of indicia on the pointer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Curt Ollila, Michael E Carrel, Vyacheslav B Birman
  • Patent number: 11550149
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a head up display system, in particular for a motor vehicle, comprising: a picture generating unit having a picture projection optics, a tilted mirror and an intermediate image plane, wherein light from the picture projection optics is deflected by the mirror toward the backside of the intermediate image plane, and an optical lens and/or mirror arrangement for magnifying and/or conveying a picture generated on the intermediate image plane to an optical combiner, wherein a pair of prisms is inserted in the optical path between the tilted mirror and the intermediate image plane to eliminate or mitigate specific light beams emanating from the intermediate image plane and traveling toward the tilted mirror and/or specific light beams emanating from the intermediate image plane already being reflected from the tilted mirror and traveling back toward the intermediate image plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Young Hong, Andreas Buechel, Bogdan Marta, Heather Knapp
  • Patent number: 11551892
    Abstract: A switch assembly according to an example of this disclosure includes a disk rotatable about a disk axis in a first circumferential direction and a second circumferential direction opposite the first circumferential direction. A U-shaped spring is fixed to the disk. Rotation of the disk in the first circumferential direction moves the disk in a first axial direction, and rotation of the disk in the second circumferential direction moves the disk in the first axial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Pasquate Tollis, Michael Eugene Carrel, Jason Todd Renaud
  • Publication number: 20230004743
    Abstract: A localization and mapping system and method for a motor vehicle is disclosed and includes at least one camera configured to obtain images of an environment surrounding the motor vehicle, at least one sensor configured to obtain location information for objects surrounding the motor vehicle and a controller configured to receive the images captured by the at least one camera and the location information obtained by the at least one sensor. The controller enhances the captured images utilizing a neural network and combines the enhanced images with the location information to localize the vehicle within the mapped environment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2021
    Publication date: January 5, 2023
    Applicant: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Eduardo Jose Ramirez Llanos, Andrew Phillip Bolduc, Julien Ip, Dhiren Verma, Xin Yu
  • Publication number: 20220417627
    Abstract: A vehicle assembly includes a panel or mounting location, a speaker or microphone disposed within the panel for generating or detecting sounds and a cover disposed over the speaker. The cover includes a plurality of openings for the transmission of sound and a corresponding plurality of blockers at each of the plurality of openings. Each of the plurality of blockers includes a front face that is spaced apart forward of a corresponding one of the plurality of openings for blocking water intrusion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2022
    Publication date: December 29, 2022
    Applicant: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: David Marron-Baez, Irving Morales Rodriguez, Enrique Chavez Luna, Ian McKerlich
  • Patent number: 11532961
    Abstract: A number of illustrative variations may include a rotor core for an electric motor comprising permanent magnets wherein the rotor core comprises lobes of the core material that magnets may be attached to.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2022
    Assignees: Steering Solutions IP Holding Corporation, Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher J. Sommer
  • Patent number: 11524532
    Abstract: A tire pressure system for a vehicle includes an inflation/deflation system that includes a compressor and a valve in fluid communication with four tires. Each of the four tires have a tire pressure. At least one sensor is configured to receive at least one of vehicle location data, vehicle environmental data and other sensor information. A controller is in communication with the inflation/deflation system and the at least one sensor. The controller is configured to select at least one of the four tires to adjust the tire pressure of the selected at least one of the four tires. The controller is configured to control at least one of the valve and compressor to achieve at least one of desired fuel economy and desired road control of the selected at least one of the four tires.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Lawrence G. Stopczynski
  • Patent number: 11527160
    Abstract: A system for infrastructure system calibration includes a sensor configured to be mounted to an infrastructure component and configured to detect an object. A corner reflector has an optical pattern and is arranged within a field of view of the sensor. The corner reflector has three surfaces that meet at a point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Vivian Swan
  • Publication number: 20220381918
    Abstract: A method includes actuating a laser diode to emit a first series of laser pulses in a first frequency, enabling ap single-photon-avalanche diode (SPAD) in a pixel of a focal-plane array to detect a photon during a first series of enable times defined by a first series of enable pulses in a second frequency greater than the first frequency, and updating a histogram memory based on a photon detected during the first series of enable times.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2021
    Publication date: December 1, 2022
    Applicant: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Martin Spence Denham
  • Patent number: 11511587
    Abstract: An air spring suspension system includes a first air spring that has a first volume with a first pressure that is configured to provide a first spring stiffness to a first suspension assembly. A second air spring has a housing with a second volume with a second pressure that is configured to provide a second spring stiffness to a second suspension assembly. The second air spring includes a piston that is arranged in the second volume. One of the housing and the piston includes a first mounting structure that is configured to connect to a vehicle chassis. Another of the housing and the piston includes a second mounting structure that is configured to connect to the second suspension assembly. The second air spring also includes a fluid connection on the housing. The second air spring further includes a crosslink valve that is disposed in the housing and movable between open and closed positions. The crosslink valve is configured to selectively fluidly connect the second volume to the fluid connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Matthew Conrad Tuhro
  • Publication number: 20220365180
    Abstract: A lidar system includes a light emitter and an array of pixels. Each pixel includes at least one photodetector. A controller is configured to actuate the light emitter to output shots of light and provide a bias voltage to the pixels. The controller updates time-resolved histograms for the shots based on detected light. The controller identifies that the counts in one of the bins of the histogram for one pixel exceed a predetermined level and, for subsequent shots, reduce the sensitivity of that pixel during the time range associated with the one bin of the histogram for that pixel to be lower than the sensitivity of that pixel at other time ranges. This provides a different detection sensitivity on a pixel-by-pixel basis for increased resolution for near objects and increased probability of detection of far objects.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2021
    Publication date: November 17, 2022
    Applicant: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Horst Wagner
  • Patent number: 11498373
    Abstract: A system and method include, among other things, providing at least one vehicle transceiver and at least one tire information sensor for a tire on a vehicle and wirelessly communicating between the at least one vehicle transceiver and the at least one tire information sensor via a signal. A phase shift in the signal is determined and a physical distance between the at least one vehicle transceiver and the at least one tire information sensor is determined based on the phase shift. A position of the at least one tire information sensor within the vehicle is then determined based on the physical distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Aaron Adler, Djordje Preradovic, Akshay Choudhari
  • Publication number: 20220343535
    Abstract: A method and system are disclosed for estimating and using a trailer angle of a trailer relative to a vehicle connected to thereto. The method includes receiving image data from at least one first camera disposed on a vehicle and from at least one second camera disposed on a trailer coupled to the vehicle, and identifying matched point pairs by matching points in the image data from the at least one first camera with points in the image data from the at least one second camera, the points matched not being points of a representation of the vehicle or a representations of the trailer in the image data. The trailer angle of the trailer relative to the vehicle is estimated based upon the matched point pairs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2021
    Publication date: October 27, 2022
    Applicant: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Julien Ip, Eduardo Llanos, Xin Yu
  • Patent number: 11479195
    Abstract: A crash sensor system includes an electronic control unit (ECU). The ECU has an accelerometer to measure longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle. Front crash satellite sensors are mounted at the front of the vehicle to detect a front or a rear crash event. When a front or rear crash event occurs, the first accelerometer is utilized to determine if the crash occurred at the front or the rear of the vehicle, regardless of the polarity of the front crash satellite sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert M Andres
  • Publication number: 20220334261
    Abstract: A lidar system includes a light detector having a field of view. The lidar system includes one or more light emitters. At least one of the one or more light emitters emits infrared light into the field of view of the light detector and at least one of the one or more light emitters emits visible light into the field of view of the light detector. The visible light emitted from the lidar system encourages eye aversion, e.g., by pedestrians, vehicle occupants, etc., to reduce the likelihood of eye exposure to the infrared light emitted by the lidar system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2021
    Publication date: October 20, 2022
    Applicant: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Sean H. Ross
  • Patent number: 11472392
    Abstract: A method for operating a brake system for motor vehicles, comprising a master brake cylinder actuable by a brake pedal, an electrically controllable pressure provision device, a pressure medium reservoir tank, from which the master brake cylinder and the pressure provision device are supplied with pressure medium, and at least two hydraulically actuable wheel brakes and at least one electrically actuable inlet valve per wheel brake, wherein the wheel brakes are actuable either by the master brake cylinder or by the pressure provision device, the pressure medium reservoir tank is monitored by a device for determining a level of the pressure medium, wherein the wheel brakes are divided into at least one first wheel brake group and one second wheel brake group, and wherein the inlet valves of the first wheel brake group are closed when the determined level falls below a first limit value (s1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, INC.
    Inventor: Harald Biller
  • Patent number: 11472413
    Abstract: A number of illustrative variations may include a method of providing a reliable driving surface friction coefficient estimate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignees: Steering Solutions IP Holding Corporation, Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael S. Wyciechowski, Scott T. Sanford, Mariam S. George, Tejas Varunjikar