Patents Assigned to Panasonic Corporation of North America
  • Patent number: 11272649
    Abstract: A component mounting system has a supply reel accommodating a component, a plurality of mounting lines each having a mounting apparatus and a line management apparatus, and a central network that provides direct communication between the line management apparatuses of each mounting line. A remaining number of components on the supply reel is determined based on cross line communication between the line management apparatuses and comparison of data at different times stored on the line management apparatuses. Such architecture does not require the use of a central server. Rather, the system is a material information exchange system without a single point of failure, where no one computer failure can cause an entire factory shutdown.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: PANASONIC CORPORATION OF NORTH AMERICA
    Inventor: Lukasz Stefan Jarosz
  • Patent number: 11232600
    Abstract: A head up display arrangement for a motor vehicle includes a global positioning system module emitting geographic location coordinates associated with the motor vehicle. A database includes lane marking location data stored in association with corresponding geographic location coordinates. An electronic processing device is communicatively coupled to the global positioning system module and to the database. The electronic processing device receives the geographic location coordinates and retrieves from the database lane marking location data stored in association with the received geographic location coordinates. The electronic processing device transmits the retrieved lane marking location data. A head up display is communicatively coupled to the electronic processing device and receives the transmitted lane marking location data. The head up display displays virtual lane markings dependent upon the received lane marking location data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventor: Donald Allen Turner
  • Patent number: 11222476
    Abstract: A head up display arrangement for a motor vehicle includes a source of a first video signal. A driver monitor system detects a location of at least a portion of a human driver of the motor vehicle. An electronic processor is communicatively coupled to the first video signal source and to the driver monitor system. The electronic processor produces a second video signal that is dependent upon the first video signal and that includes parallax information. The parallax information is based on the detected location of the portion of the driver. A head up display projection device produces a virtual image that is visible to the driver and that is based upon the second video signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventors: David Kay Lambert, Derek Louis Didier
  • Patent number: 11215839
    Abstract: A head up display arrangement is for a motor vehicle having a human occupant. A light source emits a light field. An infrared camera detects infrared energy. A combiner is positioned and configured to reflect the light field such that the light field can be viewed by the human occupant as a virtual image. The combiner has a region configured to reflect infra-red energy emitted by a face of the occupant such that the infrared energy is received by the infrared camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventors: David Kay Lambert, Walter Joseph Nill
  • Patent number: 11215822
    Abstract: A head up display arrangement for a motor vehicle includes a picture generation unit producing a light field. A digital micromirror device is positioned to reflect the light field. The digital micromirror device includes an array of mirrors each having an individually adjustable orientation. An electronic processor is communicatively coupled to the digital micromirror device and individually adjusts the orientation of each mirror such that the light field reflected by the digital micromirror device is visible to the driver as a virtual image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventors: Edo Omanovic, Patrick O'Connell
  • Patent number: 11208042
    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: February 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventors: Padhu Kanagaraj, Stephanie Tuttle, Rachel Anderson
  • Patent number: 11203295
    Abstract: A motor vehicle includes a rearview camera capturing images of a scene behind the motor vehicle. An electronic processor receives the images captured by the camera. A virtual image projection arrangement is communicatively coupled to the electronic processor and presents a virtual image dependent upon the images captured by the camera. The virtual image is visible by a driver of the vehicle after being reflected by a windshield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Svstems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventors: Edo Omanovic, David Kay Lambert, Walter Joseph Nill, Gerald Anthony Tang-Kong, Peter Clarence Sohlden
  • Patent number: 11186225
    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 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventor: Benjamin David Sweet
  • Patent number: 11181738
    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: November 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventors: Edo Omanovic, Patrick M. O'Connell
  • Patent number: 11150667
    Abstract: A street sign authentication arrangement for a motor vehicle includes an RFID tag reader for reading information encrypted on a street sign encountered by the motor vehicle. An electronic processor is communicatively coupled to the RFID tag reader, and verifies, based on the information read from the street sign, that the information was encrypted by an authorized entity. The processor controls movement of the motor vehicle based on the information read from the street sign if the processor is able to verify that the information was encrypted by the authorized entity. The processor refrains from controlling movement of the motor vehicle based on the information read from the street sign if the processor is not able to verify that the information was encrypted by the authorized entity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventor: Eric Shufro
  • Patent number: 11110915
    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: August 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventor: Donald Allen Turner
  • Patent number: 11056168
    Abstract: Examples of the present disclosure relate to a device, method, and medium storing instructions for execution by a processor for refreshing memory blocks of solid state memory through a temperature compensated refresh rate. Techniques discussed herein include a solid state memory to store data and a temperature sensor to identify a temperature of the solid state memory. The memory device with solid state memory also includes a memory controller that periodically refreshes memory blocks of the solid state memory at an adjustable refresh rate, wherein memory controller is to adjust the adjustable refresh rate based on the temperature of the solid state memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventors: David Luc Belcourt, Shivaramraje Nimbalkar, Vishnuchakravarthi Nagarajan
  • Patent number: 11036062
    Abstract: Examples of the present disclosure relate to a device, method, and medium storing instructions for execution by a processor for displaying multiple images. In an example, a device may include a display to present two images interleaved, where the display includes a vertical axis parallel to a line passing through a center-bottom of the display and a center-top of the display. The device includes a first parallax barrier placed between the display and an intended viewable area, where the first parallax barrier includes a first number of parallax barrier lines, where the first number of parallax barrier lines are opaque and parallel to the vertical axis. The device includes a second parallax barrier placed between the first parallax barrier and the intended viewable area, where the second parallax barrier includes a second number of parallax barrier lines, where the second number of parallax barrier lines are opaque and parallel to the vertical axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventor: Nicholas Brian Hansen
  • Patent number: 11016642
    Abstract: A user interface for an infotainment system of a motor vehicle includes a rectangular display screen and a rotatable ring having a central circular viewing window through which the display screen is visible. The rotatable ring includes a plurality of rotational positions relative to the display screen. An optical switch is disposed between the rotatable ring and the display screen and detects the rotational position of the rotatable ring. An electronic processor is communicatively coupled to the display screen and to the optical switch. The electronic processor controls an image presented on the display screen dependent upon the rotatable position of the rotatable ring as detected by the optical switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventor: Sachiyo Zuehlke
  • Patent number: 10989917
    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: June 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventors: David Kay Lambert, Steven Craig Bower
  • Patent number: 10986478
    Abstract: On-hoard equipment in a motor vehicle includes a C-V2X communication device receiving a first signal from road side equipment having a known position. The C-V2X communication device transmits a second signal having content that is dependent upon a length of time in which the first signal traveled from the road side equipment to the C-V2X communication device. A GPS device is communicatively coupled to the C-V2X communication device and receives the second signal from the C-V2X communication device. The GPS device estimates a position of the vehicle. The estimating is dependent upon the second signal from the C-V2X communication device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventors: Sameh Willliam Tawadrous, Hans A. Troemel, Jr.
  • Patent number: 10980104
    Abstract: A power amplifier arrangement for a motor vehicle includes a printed circuit board disposed between a housing on a first side of the printed circuit board and a heat sink on a second side of the printed circuit board. A power amplifier is mounted on the second side of the printed circuit board. A bracket is supported by the housing. A clamping spring is supported by the bracket such that the clamping spring is in biased engagement with the first side of the printed circuit board, and such that the power amplifier is pressed into engagement with the heat sink.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventor: Gerald A. Tang-Kong
  • Patent number: 10946740
    Abstract: A motor vehicle includes a plurality of seats. Each seat receives a respective human occupant of the motor vehicle. A movable driver control interface enables a human occupant to drive the motor vehicle. A positioning mechanism is coupled to the driver control interface and enables a human occupant to move the driver control interface to a position in front of any one of the seats such that any one of the human occupants may use the driver control interface to drive the motor vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventors: Benjamin David Sweet, Padmanaban Kanagaraj
  • Patent number: 10938335
    Abstract: Examples of the present disclosure relate to a device, method, and medium storing instructions for execution by a processor for estimating motor winding temperature. In an example, a device for estimating motor winding temperature includes a motor shaft and a motor winding. The device may include a current sense resistor to detect the current passing through a common wiring. The device may include a digital to analog converter to convert an input voltage to an analog signal for comparison to the voltage and to generate a differential voltage using the signals received from the current sense resistor and an initial voltage supplied to the motor winding. The device may include a processor to use the differential voltage and a current input value to calculate a resistance of the motor winding from comparison to a temperature conversion curve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventor: Gordon Ray Miller
  • Patent number: 10912135
    Abstract: A server device includes a memory and processor. A vehicle identification number (VIN) is stored in the memory. The VIN is associated with connection information for a vehicle associated with the VIN. The processor executes A VIN matcher stored in the memory, and denies a request for connection information in response to a mismatch between a supplied VIN from a connecting device and the VIN stored in memory. The processor executes a network connector stored in the memory, and sends connection information to a connecting device in response to a match between the supplied VIN from the connecting device and the VIN stored in memory. The connection information is sent through the network connection using a first communication protocol and contains information for the connecting device to connect to the vehicle through direct pairing using a second communication protocol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventors: Jeffrey Michael Zellen, Matthew Bourdua, Janardhan Thodeti