Patents Assigned to Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America
  • Patent number: 11950037
    Abstract: A surface vehicle includes a microphone detecting sounds originating outside of the surface vehicle. A heating element is mounted in association with the microphone and provides heat for preventing accumulation of ice near the microphone wherein the ice accumulation would degrade an ability of the microphone to detect sounds originating outside of the surface vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventor: Karl Warren Frisch Cressman
  • Patent number: 11927750
    Abstract: A head up display arrangement for a motor vehicle includes an image source emitting a light field. A first freeform mirror is positioned to provide a first reflection of the light field. A generally concave second freeform mirror is positioned to receive the first reflection and provide a second reflection of the light field. The second reflection is reflected off of a windshield of the vehicle so as to be visible to a driver of the vehicle as a virtual image. The generally concave second freeform mirror includes a reflective surface having a shape such that the virtual image appears to be curved to the driver of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventors: Patrick O'Connell, Edo Omanovic
  • Patent number: 11919388
    Abstract: A motor vehicle includes at least one camera capturing images of an environment outside of the motor vehicle. A proximity sensor detects an object disposed adjacent to the motor vehicle. An electronic processor receives the images captured by the at least one camera, and receives a proximity signal from the proximity sensor. The proximity signal is indicative of whether an object is disposed adjacent to the motor vehicle. The electronic processor determines, based upon the images captured by the at least one camera and the proximity signal, whether the motor vehicle is disposed within an enclosure. The electronic processor receives an engine start request signal that has been wirelessly transmitted by a user. In response to receiving the engine start request signal, the electronic processor causes the engine start system to start an engine of the motor vehicle when the motor vehicle is not disposed within an enclosure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventors: Padmanaban Kanagaraj, Katherine Freund
  • Patent number: 11889250
    Abstract: A loudspeaker arrangement for a seat within a motor vehicle utilizes one or more localized sound output ports for low frequency sound reproduction. A housing, such as an enclosure, substantially surrounds a loudspeaker. One or more audio transmission line channels acoustically interconnect the interior of the enclosure to one or more sound output ports. The enclosure is situated below, behind, or in some fixed location around or within a vehicle seat. The sound outputs ports are situated at or near a headrest such that the output ports are located substantially less than a wavelength of sound at the highest operating frequency from either ear of the seat's occupant. The acoustic response and resonances of a 1) rear enclosure, 2) a front vented enclosure, 3) a loudspeaker, and 4) an audio transmission path from the enclosure to one or more output ports are used to provide localized low frequency sound reproduction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventor: Mark William Ziemba
  • Patent number: 11860362
    Abstract: A head up display mirror holder arrangement for a motor vehicle includes a picture generation unit producing a light field. A mirror reflects the light field such that the light field is visible to the driver as a virtual image. A mirror holder has two opposite ends and an activation feature. The two opposite ends are aligned along a rotational axis of the mirror. The mirror holder retains the mirror. Each of two bushings is coupled to a respective opposite end of the mirror holder. A calibration switch has minimum proximity to the activation feature of the mirror holder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventors: Fidelis Itsede, John Austin, Duane Lucero
  • Patent number: 11863967
    Abstract: Examples of the disclosure relate to example systems and methods for operating wireless headset system for a vehicle. An example system includes a first wireless chipset to handle communication with a smartphone, and a second wireless chipset to handle communication with a headset. The example system also includes a processor configured to execute a first virtual machine to control the first wireless chipset and a second virtual machine to control the second wireless chipset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventors: Janardhan Thodeti, Rajgopal Shrikanth, Arun Krishnan Padmakumar, Dallas Hickerson, Jason Weida, Nitish James, Senthilnathan Subramanian, Shyamkumar Kurra
  • Patent number: 11772467
    Abstract: A motor vehicle includes a precipitation sensor detecting weather-related precipitation. An actuator moves a movable overhead covering between a covered position and an uncovered position. An electronic processor is communicatively coupled to the precipitation sensor and to the actuator. The electronic processor responds to the precipitation sensor detecting weather-related precipitation by automatically causing the actuator to move the movable overhead covering from the uncovered position to the covered position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventors: Edo Omanovic, Katherine Freund
  • Patent number: 11768372
    Abstract: A head up display arrangement for a motor vehicle includes a head up display module having a picture generation unit emitting a light field. A polarizing device is rotatable between at least a first rotational position and a second rotational position. The polarizing device receives the light field from the picture generation unit and emits the light field regardless of whether the polarizing device is in the first rotational position or the second rotational position. More of the light is emitted by the polarizer in a P-polarization state in the second rotational position than in the first rotational position. A windshield reflects the light field from the polarizing device such that the reflected light field is visible to a human driver of the motor vehicle as a virtual image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic corporation of North America
    Inventors: Edo Omanovic, Patrick O'Connell
  • Patent number: 11728915
    Abstract: Examples of the present disclosure relate to a device, method, and system for integrating a projection mode of a user mobile device with a terrestrial tuner. In an example, the system may be a vehicle including a head unit and a vehicle projection stack to operate in the head unit. The system may also include a terrestrial tuner communicatively coupled to the vehicle projection stack to receive a terrestrial audio signal from a terrestrial source. The system may also include an audio driver to provide an audio signal to a vehicle interior where the audio signal is from at least one of the terrestrial audio signal and an internet audio signal received at the vehicle projection stack from a user mobile device located inside the vehicle interior.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventors: Shree Jaisimha, Arun Krishnan Padmakumar, Nicholas Cook
  • Patent number: 11726322
    Abstract: A head up display arrangement for a motor vehicle includes a head up display module having a picture generation unit emitting a light field. A plurality of linear polarizers are arranged in a stack. A first of the linear polarizers receives the light field from the picture generation unit. A last of the linear polarizers emits the light field. A windshield reflects the light field from the last linear polarizer such that the reflected light field is visible to a human driver of the motor vehicle as a virtual image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventors: David Kay Lambert, Steven Craig Bower
  • Patent number: 11708030
    Abstract: A motor vehicle includes a rearview mirror display system with a visible surface and having a mirror mode and a display mode. The visible surface functions as a mirror in the mirror mode. The visible surface displays an electronically produced image in the display mode. An electronic processor is communicatively coupled to the rearview mirror display system. The electronic processor detects that the display mode is not operating properly, and, in response to the detecting, automatically switches the rearview mirror display system from the display mode to the mirror mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventors: Padhu Kanagaraj, Stephanie Tuttle, Rachel Anderson
  • Patent number: 11686936
    Abstract: A head up display mirror holder arrangement for a motor vehicle includes a picture generation unit producing a light field. A mirror reflects the light field such that the light field is visible to the driver as a virtual image. A mirror holder has two opposite ends and an activation feature. The two opposite ends are aligned along a rotational axis of the mirror. The mirror holder retains the mirror. Each of two bushings is coupled to a respective opposite end of the mirror holder. A calibration switch has minimum proximity to the activation feature of the mirror holder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventors: Edo Omanovic, Patrick M. O'Connell
  • Patent number: 11679720
    Abstract: A motor vehicle includes a left side view camera attached to the left lateral side of the body and having a field of view in a rearward direction. A right side view camera is attached to the right lateral side of the body and has a field of view in a rearward direction. There is a right back up camera and a left back up camera. An optics module receives resulting video signals and produces light fields such that the light fields are reflected off of windows of the motor vehicle and are then visible to a driver of the motor vehicle as virtual images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventor: Benjamin David Sweet
  • Patent number: 11681396
    Abstract: Examples of the present disclosure relate to a device, method, and system for optical input diodes. A liquid crystal display (LCD) backlight device may include a processor and a color filter of a pixel including at least one of a red filter, a green filter, or a blue filter. The LCD backlight device may also include a diode to emit light through the color filter in response to being driven by the processor. The diode may generate a voltage in response to light passing through the color filter and arriving on the diode, where an image value may be calculated as a function of the voltage generated and a color filter value of the color filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventor: Nicholas Brian Hansen
  • Patent number: 11675433
    Abstract: A picture generation unit emits a light field. A mirror reflects the light field toward a windshield of a motor vehicle such that the light field is reflected off of the windshield and is visible to the driver as a virtual image. An infrared emitter transmits infrared energy through the mirror such that the infrared energy is substantially co-axial with the light field, and such that the infrared energy is reflected off of the windshield toward the human driver. An infrared camera captures infrared images based on the transmitted infrared energy reflected off of the human driver and received by the infrared camera. Eye tracking is performed based on the captured infrared images. The infrared energy is transmitted at a higher power level at a beginning of the eye tracking than after the beginning of the eye tracking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventor: Liang Yuan
  • Patent number: 11673544
    Abstract: An autonomous parking arrangement for a motor vehicle includes at least one camera associated with the vehicle and capturing images of parking spaces surrounding the vehicle. An electronic processor is communicatively coupled to the at least one camera and processes the captured images. A touch-sensitive display screen is communicatively coupled to the electronic processor and displays the processed images. The display screen enables a user of the motor vehicle to select a parking space in the processed images by touching the display screen. The display screen indicates to the electronic processor which of the parking spaces has been selected by the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventor: Donald Allen Turner
  • Patent number: 11675190
    Abstract: A head up display arrangement for a motor vehicle includes a picture generation unit producing a light field. An optical element reflects the light field such that the light field is visible to a human driver of the motor vehicle as a virtual image. A holographic film is attached to the optical element. A driver monitoring system senses infrared energy reflected by the holographic film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventors: Liang Yuan, John Avery
  • Patent number: 11642961
    Abstract: An optical arrangement for a motor vehicle includes a head up display light field emitter that emits a light field. At least one mirror is positioned to reflect the light field such that the light field is again reflected by a windshield of the vehicle, and such that the light field is visible to a driver of the vehicle as a virtual image. The at least one mirror has a transparent section. A driver monitoring camera is positioned to capture an image of a face of the driver through the transparent section of the at least one mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventor: John Avery
  • Patent number: 11647316
    Abstract: A loudspeaker arrangement for a seat within a motor vehicle utilizes one or more localized sound output ports for low frequency sound reproduction. A housing, such as an enclosure, substantially surrounds a loudspeaker. One or more audio transmission line channels acoustically interconnect the interior of the enclosure to one or more sound output ports. The enclosure is situated below, behind, or in some fixed location around or within a vehicle seat. The sound outputs ports are situated at or near a headrest such that the output ports are located substantially less than a wavelength of sound at the highest operating frequency from either ear of the seat's occupant. The acoustic response and resonances of a 1) rear enclosure, 2) a front vented enclosure, 3) a loudspeaker, and 4) an audio transmission path from the enclosure to one or more output ports are used to provide localized low frequency sound reproduction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventor: Mark William Ziemba
  • Patent number: 11550150
    Abstract: Examples of the present disclosure relate to a device and system in a vehicle for guiding light towards a user. In an example, the device includes a heads up display (HUD) to guide light towards a user in a vehicle, the HUD. In an example, the device includes a HUD housing with a base plane and a stationary mirror mount on the HUD base. The example can include an adjustable mirror mount on the HUD base and an attachment slot disposed in the HUD housing, the attachment slot to accept a mounting tab, wherein the attachment slot is shaped to accept both of either a predominantly vertical mounting tab or a predominantly horizontal mounting tab.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventors: Patrick O'Connell, Edo Omanovic