Patents Assigned to Magna Electronics
  • Patent number: 11754705
    Abstract: A vehicular radar sensing system includes a radar sensor disposed at the vehicle so as to have a field of sensing exterior of the vehicle. The radar sensor includes a plurality of transmitters that transmit radio signals and a plurality of receivers that receive radio signals. The received radio signals are transmitted radio signals that are reflected from from a radar reflective sign that is present along a road being traveled by the vehicle and in the field of sensing of the radar sensor. The radar reflective sign has radar reflective information. A control, via processing of outputs of the receivers by a processor, determines the radar reflective information. A display may display the determined radar reflective information for viewing by a driver of the vehicle. The control may control at least one guidance function of the vehicle responsive at least in part to the determined radar reflective information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Traian Miu
  • Patent number: 11756230
    Abstract: A vehicular trailer hitching assist system includes a camera disposed at a rear portion of a vehicle and viewing a trailer hitch disposed at the vehicle. Responsive to processing at an electronic control unit (ECU) of frames of image data captured by the camera, a feature of the trailer hitch is detected. The system, at least in part via processing at the ECU of at least one frame of image data captured by the camera, determines a ground location at the ground below the detected feature of the trailer hitch, and determines a location of the trailer hitch at the vehicle. The vehicle is maneuvered toward a trailer for hitching the trailer to the trailer hitch of the vehicle based at least in part on (i) the determined location of the trailer hitch and (ii) the height of the detected feature of the trailer hitch above the ground location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Nikhil Gupta, Galina Okouneva, Hilda Faraji, Jyothi P. Gali
  • Patent number: 11753002
    Abstract: A vehicular control system includes a plurality of sensors disposed at a vehicle so as to have a combined field of sensing forward, rearward and sideward of the vehicle. Data captured by the sensors as the vehicle moves along a road is processed at a control for detecting objects present exterior the vehicle. The control designates a plurality of locations within the fields of sensing. As the vehicle moves along the road, the control increases a value for each designated location when an object is detected at that designated location, and decreases the value for each designated location when an object is not detected at that designated location, and generates an object map based on values for the designated locations. The greater the value for a particular designated location, the greater the probability an object is present at that particular designated location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Mahdi Marsousi, Harold E. Joseph, Nikhil Gupta, Alexander Velichko
  • Patent number: 11745659
    Abstract: A vehicular vision system includes a camera disposed at an in-cabin side of a windshield of a vehicle. Responsive at least in part to processing of captured image data, the system determines a camera-derived path of travel of the vehicle along a road. Responsive at least in part to a geographic location of the vehicle, the system determines a geographic-derived path of travel of the vehicle along the road. Control of the vehicle along the road is based on diminished reliance on the determined geographic-derived path of travel when a geographic location reliability level of the determined geographic-derived path of travel is below a threshold geographic location reliability level. Control of the vehicle along the road is based on diminished reliance on the determined camera-derived path of travel of the vehicle when a camera reliability level of the determined camera-derived path of travel is below a threshold camera reliability level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: William J. Chundrlik, Jr., Marc Wimmershoff
  • Patent number: 11750905
    Abstract: A vehicular camera includes a camera housing, a lens assembly having a lens barrel and a lens disposed in the lens barrel, an imager printed circuit board (PCB) disposed in the camera housing, and an induction heating device having an inductive coil that at least partially circumscribes a portion of the lens assembly. The inductive coil is disposed at the imager PCB and is electrically connected to circuitry of the imager PCB. The camera housing includes an electrical connector that is configured to electrically connect with an electrical connector of a vehicle. With the vehicular camera disposed at the vehicle, the heating device is operable to generate a magnetic field that induces electrical current in the portion of the lens assembly to generate heat at the portion of the lens assembly to heat at least part of the lens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Yuesheng Lu
  • Patent number: 11745755
    Abstract: A vehicular driving assist system includes an in-cabin camera disposed at an interior rearview mirror assembly in an interior cabin of a vehicle and viewing at least a steering wheel of the vehicle and capturing image data. An electronic control unit (ECU) includes an image processor for processing image data captured by the in-cabin camera to detect presence of one or both hands of a driver of the vehicle at the steering wheel. The vehicular driving assist system, responsive to determining, via processing at the ECU of image data captured by the in-cabin camera, that at least one hand of the driver is not on the steering wheel when the vehicle is at or approaching a hazardous condition, generates an alert to the driver of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Gaurav S. Kulkarni
  • Patent number: 11749105
    Abstract: A vehicular communication system includes a wireless communication device disposed at an equipped vehicle and operable to wirelessly communicate with other vehicles near the equipped vehicle. A control includes electronic circuitry and associated software. The control, responsive to receiving an indication of an impending lane change or turn by the equipped vehicle, generates an alert and the wireless communication device communicates the alert to at least one other vehicle within a threshold distance of the equipped vehicle. The wireless communication device may receive from another vehicle remote from the equipped vehicle an alert of an impending lateral movement by the other vehicle, and may, responsive to determining that the other vehicle is within a threshold distance of the equipped vehicle, display that alert on a display device disposed within the equipped vehicle and viewable by a driver of the equipped vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Abhijot Singh Kathuria
  • Patent number: 11745749
    Abstract: A method for testing a vehicular driving assist system includes positioning the vehicle near a target object such that the target object is within a field of sensing of at least one sensor of the vehicle. The vehicle has an ECU having electronic circuitry and associated software, with the electronic circuitry of the ECU including a processor for processing data captured by the at least one sensor to detect presence of objects in the field of sensing of the at least one sensor. The vehicle is maneuvered away from the target object and, as the vehicle maneuvers away from the target object, the data captured by the at least one sensor is recorded. The recorded data is reversed to indicate the vehicle is approaching the target object. The reversed recorded data is provided as an input to the vehicular driving assist system to test the vehicular driving assist system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Anuj S. Potnis
  • Patent number: 11745657
    Abstract: A vehicular camera includes a lens assembly and a circuit board having a first side and a second side opposite the first side. The circuit board has a first coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). An imager is disposed at the first side of the circuit board and optically aligned with the lens assembly. A bend-countering element is disposed at the second side of the circuit board. The bend-countering element has a second CTE that is greater than the first CTE of the circuit board. The bend-countering element counters temperature-induced bending of the circuit board. With the camera disposed at the vehicle, temperature-induced bending of the bend-countering element is in an opposite direction from temperature-induced bending of the circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Yuesheng Lu, Steven V. Byrne
  • Patent number: 11738767
    Abstract: A vehicular driving assistance system includes a plurality of sensors disposed at a vehicle and sensing respective regions exterior of the equipped vehicle. A plurality of microphones is disposed at the equipped vehicle and sense sounds emanating from exterior of the vehicle. An ECU, responsive to indication of an intended lane change of the equipped vehicle, and via processing of sensor data captured by at least one of the sensors, determines presence of another vehicle in an adjacent traffic lane. Responsive to determination of the presence of the other vehicle in the adjacent traffic lane, the ECU, via processing outputs of at least one microphone of the plurality of microphones, determines if the determined other vehicle is accelerating. Responsive to determination that the determined other vehicle is accelerating, the vehicular driving assistance system generates an alert to the driver of the equipped vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Antonio Luna Arriaga
  • Patent number: 11733376
    Abstract: A method for detecting objects via a vehicular radar sensing system includes equipping a vehicle with a vehicular radar sensing system, the vehicular radar sensing system including a radar sensor. An analog input signal derived from received radio signals is converted, via a first ADC, into a first number of bits M. The first number of bits M is converted, via a DAC, into a first analog signal. A second analog signal is determined by subtracting, via a subtractor, the first analog signal from the analog input signal. The second analog signal is converted, via a second ADC, into a second number of bits K. A total number of bits N is established by concatenating the first number of bits M to the second number of bits K. A processor processes the total number of bits N to detect the object that the received radio signals are reflected from.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Sergio Duque Biarge, Luca Marotti
  • Patent number: 11724707
    Abstract: A vehicular control system includes an electronic control unit (ECU) that includes (i) a next stack activation size hardware register and (ii) a hardware memory initializer configured to initialize memory. The ECU determines a maximum stack size of a vehicle control function called by a root function. The vehicle control function controls a system of the equipped vehicle. The next stack activation size hardware register stores a value equivalent to the determined maximum stack size of the first function. The ECU, prior to executing the vehicle function and while executing the root function, triggers execution of the hardware memory initializer. The hardware memory initializer initializes memory in parallel with execution of the root function based on the next stack activation size hardware register. The ECU executes the vehicle control function responsive to receiving an indication of completion from the hardware memory initializer indicating the memory initialization is complete.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Bishnu Raveendran
  • Patent number: 11718243
    Abstract: A vehicular camera system includes an attaching structure configured to attach at an in-cabin side of a vehicle windshield. A camera module accommodates a circuit board and an imager and the camera module includes a lens aligned with the imager. The attaching structure includes a camera module receiving portion having an opening at a lower portion of the camera module receiving portion. With the attaching structure attached at the in-cabin side of the vehicle windshield, the camera module is inserted upward through the opening and is at least partially received in the camera module receiving portion to attach the camera module at the camera module receiving portion. With the attaching structure attached at the in-cabin side of the vehicle windshield and with the camera module at least partially received in the camera module receiving portion, the imager views through the vehicle windshield and forward of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Brian J. Winden
  • Patent number: 11721113
    Abstract: A vehicular vision system includes a camera disposed at and viewing exterior and rearward of a vehicle. The system, as the vehicle is driven forward along a traffic lane of a road, and responsive to processing of image data captured by the camera, determines a traffic lane marker rearward of the vehicle. The system, responsive to determining the traffic lane marker, determines a position of the vehicle within the traffic lane the vehicle is moving along. The system, responsive to determining the position of the vehicle within the traffic lane is within a threshold distance of a side of the traffic lane, alerts an occupant of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Jaidev Khatri
  • Patent number: 11722758
    Abstract: A vehicular camera includes a camera housing having a first portion and a second portion joined to the first portion. The first portion of the camera housing accommodates a lens and has an attaching portion having a first coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). A circuit board includes circuitry disposed at a circuit board substrate that has a second CTE that is different from the first CTE. The circuitry includes an imager. The circuit board substrate is attached at the attaching portion of the first portion of the camera housing. When the vehicular camera is operated at an operating temperature greater than 50 degrees C., the attaching portion expands a greater degree than the circuit board substrate. When the vehicular camera is operated at an operating temperature below ?20 degrees C., the attaching portion contracts a greater degree than the circuit board substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Steven V. Byrne, Jonathan D. Conger
  • Patent number: 11714165
    Abstract: A method for determining presence of an object via a vehicular radar sensing system includes providing a radar sensor having a plurality of antennas, which includes a plurality of transmitting antennas and a plurality of receiving antennas. The plurality of antennas includes a plurality of sets of antennas, each set having a V shape or an X shape, and with each of the shaped sets of antennas having an apex. A signal feed is provided to the apex of each of the shaped sets of antennas. A radar beam is transmitted via the plurality of transmitting antennas and side lobes of the transmitted radar beam are reduced via the plurality of shaped sets of antennas. An output of the receiving antennas is communicated to a processor, and the processor determines presence of one or more objects exterior the vehicle and within the field of sensing of the radar sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Holger Hess
  • Patent number: 11714164
    Abstract: A vehicular radar sensing system includes a radar sensor configured to be disposed at a vehicle. The radar sensor includes a plurality of antennas that include a plurality of transmitting antennas that transmit radio signals and a plurality of receiving antennas that receive radio signals. The radar sensor provides radar data to a processor that processes the provided radar data to detect an object present in the field of sensing of the radar sensor. At least some antennas of the plurality of antennas include waveguides having T-shaped slots, with each T-shaped slot having a longitudinal portion and a transverse portion that extends transverse from the longitudinal portion, and with a width of the transverse portion being less than a length of the longitudinal portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Wilhelm Johann Wolfgang Wöhlte, Fabrizio Gentili
  • Patent number: 11708111
    Abstract: A vehicular trailer assist system includes a camera disposed at a rear portion of a vehicle and viewing a portion of a trailer hitched at a hitch of the vehicle. During a reversing maneuver of the vehicle and hitched trailer, the vehicular trailer assist system, responsive to processing at an electronic control unit (ECU) of image data captured by the camera, determines a trailer angle of the trailer relative to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle. Based at least in part on the determined trailer angle, the vehicular trailer assist system determines a trailer direction of movement of the trailer while the vehicle is reversing with the trailer hitched at the hitch of the vehicle. The vehicular trailer assist system determines a virtual destination location rearward of the trailer and in the determined trailer direction and controls steering of the vehicle to reverse the trailer towards the virtual destination location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Jyothi P. Gali
  • Patent number: 11711598
    Abstract: A vehicular camera for a vehicular vision system includes a housing having a front housing portion and a rear housing portion, with the front housing portion including a lens barrel for accommodating a lens. A heating device is disposed at an outermost lens element of the lens. The heating device includes a pair of electrically conductive elements that are routed along the lens barrel for electrical connection to circuitry at a printed circuit board. An outer end of each of the electrically conductive elements is disposed at and in contact with a heating element at and in contact with the inner surface of the outermost lens element. When powered, the heating element heats the outermost lens element to evaporate moisture or condensation thereat. The camera is configured to be disposed at an exterior portion of a vehicle so as to have a field of view exterior of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Zhongyao Liu, Yuesheng Lu, Jonathan D. Conger
  • Patent number: 11711886
    Abstract: A vehicular camera module includes a front camera housing portion having an imager, a lens having a plurality of optical elements, and an imager printed circuit board. The imager is disposed at a front side of the imager printed circuit board and the lens is optically aligned with the imager. A rear camera housing portion is mated with the front camera housing portion to form a camera housing. A thermal element is disposed between the imager printed circuit board and the camera housing. The thermal element has a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of 13 ppm/° C. or less. With the vehicular camera module disposed at a vehicle, circuitry of the vehicular camera module is in electrical connection with a wire harness of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Steven V. Byrne, Yuesheng Lu, Rene Dreiocker, Jonathan D. Conger