Patents Examined by Adam D Tissot
  • Patent number: 11884255
    Abstract: Excess fuel consumption monitor and feedback systems for vehicles include sensor arrays of two primary types including those sensors deployed as part of a vehicle manufacturer established sensor suite and sensors deployed as after-market sensors. Together, these sensor suites include sensors coupled to vehicle subsystems and operating environments associated with the vehicle. Data from these sensors may be used as parametric inputs to drive algorithmic calculations which have outputs that express excess fuel consumption. Expressions of excess fuel consumption may be made instantaneously as real-time feedback to a vehicle operator/driver and/or a fleet manager as part of a summary report.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: SmartDrive Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Jason Palmer, Slaven Sljivar
  • Patent number: 11884343
    Abstract: A steering feel assisting apparatus of a steer-by-wire (SBW) system, may include a disk configured to rotate together with a steering shaft; a cam engaged to an actuator and configured to receive a rotational force of the actuator to be eccentrically rotated; and a brake arm configured to selectively friction-contact with an external peripheral surface of the disk to provide a predetermined frictional force in a forward rotation direction of the disk as the brake arm rotates in conjunction with rotation of the cam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Sang Woo Hwang, Young Dae Park, Byung Rim Lee, Min Jun Kim, Se Hyun Chang, Hyeon Seok Cho
  • Patent number: 11884184
    Abstract: An information processing device includes a control unit configured to determine whether to include a regenerative brake in specifications of a proposed vehicle based on regenerative brake operation data acquired while a first vehicle including the regenerative brake is traveling in a predetermined area. The proposed vehicle is a vehicle proposed as a vehicle for a customer to drive in the predetermined area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shunsuke Tanimori, Ryota Nakabayashi, Osamu Izumida, Takeshi Kanou, Naoki Yamada, Kazuyuki Inoue, Shin Sakurada, Hiromitsu Fujii
  • Patent number: 11884323
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for determining a turning radius of a trailer attached to a towing vehicle and moved by the latter, comprising a computing unit, which is connected to a measuring sensor system, which transmits sensor data about current movements of the trailer to the computing unit, and which sensor data is considered by the computing unit for the determination of the turning radius. The invention also relates to a trailer, which is equipped with a device, which uses a method of this type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Lemken Gmbh & Co KG
    Inventors: Gyorgy Jozsef Biro, Christoph Muller
  • Patent number: 11884164
    Abstract: A system for controlling charging of a battery of an eco-friendly vehicle includes: an on-board charger (OBC) mounted in the vehicle, setting a required charging current based on available charging current information received from a power supply unit supplying power for charging the battery, transmitting the required charging current to the power supply unit, and converting the power supplied from the power supply unit to charge the battery; and a controller determining whether charging of the battery is completed, and when it is determined that charging of the battery is abnormally terminated in a state where charging is not completed, changing the required charging current to charge the battery based on first information supplied from the power supply unit upon abnormal termination of charging and based on second information supplied from the power supply unit upon normal completion of charging.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Kyu Beom Ko
  • Patent number: 11878667
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for decelerating a motor vehicle during emergency braking, wherein the entire emergency braking is automatically carried out by a longitudinal dynamics system of the motor vehicle, wherein, for emergency braking, a total braking torque is automatically generated by the longitudinal dynamics system of the motor vehicle, and, for this purpose, a first braking torque is generated at least as a proportion of the total braking torque by an electric motor of an electric drive of the motor vehicle in a time interval beginning with the automatic initiation of the emergency braking and shorter than the total duration of the emergency braking, in which time interval the total braking torque cannot yet be generated solely by a service brake system of the longitudinal dynamics system. The invention also relates to a motor vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: VOLKSWAGEN AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventor: Bastian Witte
  • Patent number: 11878704
    Abstract: An electronic control device is mounted on a vehicle equipped with a plurality of hardware capable of operation, and comprises an information collection unit which collects external information of the vehicle, a storage unit which stores a plurality of processing specifications which prescribe processing to be executed by each of the plurality of hardware and the external information to be used by the plurality of hardware for performing operation, and an applied condition, which is a condition related to the external information and a status of the plurality of hardware for applying each of the plurality of processing specifications, and a processing control unit which determines one processing specification among the plurality of processing specifications from a correspondence to the condition based on the collected external information and the status of the plurality of hardware, and controls the plurality of hardware based on the determined processing specification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: Hitachi Astemo, Ltd.
    Inventors: Taisuke Ueta, Satoshi Tsutsumi, Yuta Muto, Hideyuki Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 11878605
    Abstract: Described herein are battery modules comprising integrated module converters, electric-vehicle battery systems comprising such modules, and methods of operating thereof. An electric-vehicle battery system comprises a high-voltage battery pack and high-voltage contactors that controllably isolate the pack's high-voltage area from other areas in the vehicle. The pack comprises multiple battery modules with battery cells and a primary module converter constantly connected to these cells. Each module has a lower voltage than the entire pack. The power output from the primary module converters is used to operate a battery controller and to close/activate the contactors in response to the switch position (e.g., an ignition switch). The primary module converters can be either constantly activated or controllably activated in response to the switch moving into an activated position. For example, a secondary module converter, with a lower power rating, can be used for this primary module converter activation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: DIMAAG-AI, Inc.
    Inventors: Ian Wright, George Fellingham
  • Patent number: 11873040
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method for monitoring a steering system, in particular during an operation in a vehicle, in which method a load characteristic of at least one steering component of the steering system is determined and is evaluated in order to determine a stress and/or a state of the steering component. According to the disclosure, the load characteristic comprises at least one load on the steering component caused by an external application of force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Andreas John, Michael Friedel, Stefan Kersten Weber, Susanne Meyer
  • Patent number: 11868132
    Abstract: A system and method for implementing pedestrian avoidance strategies for a mobile robot that include receiving position data of a pedestrian and the mobile robot from systems of the mobile robot and estimating positions of the pedestrian and the mobile robot based on the position data. The system and method also include determining an expected intersection point of paths of the pedestrian and the mobile robot and an estimated time for the pedestrian to reach and cross the expected intersection point of the paths. The system and method further include implementing a pedestrian avoidance strategy based on the positions of the pedestrian and the mobile robot and the expected point in time when the pedestrian will reach and cross the expected intersection point of the paths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shih-Yun Lo, Katsu Yamane, Kenichiro Sugiyama
  • Patent number: 11853292
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a request for evaluating driving data included in a data log, accessing, based on the request, an evaluation configuration file that includes a metric-calculation configuration specifying one or more metric calculators configured to generate one or more output metrics from the driving data and a validation configuration configured to validate the one or more output metrics, instantiating the one or more metric calculators specified by the metric-calculation configuration included in the evaluation configuration file, determining particular driving data from the driving data included in the data log based on the one or more instantiated metric calculators, and generating the one or more output metrics for the particular driving data by using the instantiated one or more metric calculators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: Woven by Toyota, U.S., Inc.
    Inventors: Shaojing Li, Yingting Xiao
  • Patent number: 11854389
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices are disclosed for improving traffic safety and efficiency. The system includes various signal transmitters and receivers positioned throughout roadways, within automobiles, in smartphones, or supported by a cellular network backbone, for distributing traffic related information to users and traffic controller equipment. Embodiments of the present disclosure allow for vehicles and/or pedestrians to initiate a dual-transmission of cellular and RF signals for changing a traffic light state, where the first signal received at a traffic intersection controller unit is processed for changing the traffic light state (e.g., changing a light from red to green on-demand). Other embodiments of the present disclosure allow for users to receive visible and/or audible traffic related alerts on mobile devices, where the alerts are based on data shared between nearby drivers, pedestrians, and the traffic controlling equipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: Applied Information, Inc.
    Inventors: Bryan Patrick Mulligan, Iain Jeffrey Mulligan
  • Patent number: 11851121
    Abstract: An apparatus for reducing vibration of a steering wheel may include: a judder compensation logic unit configured to calculate judder compensation torque for removing a judder which occurs in a steering wheel of a vehicle, based on one or more of a motor current, vehicle speed and vehicle wheel speed; and a judder compensation diagnosis unit configured to determine an operation state of the judder compensation logic unit based on one or more of the vehicle wheel speed, steering torque and a brake state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: HYUNDAI MOBIS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: In Hyuk Kim, Pil Woo Lee, Kwang Woong Kim
  • Patent number: 11840295
    Abstract: A steering system includes a steering shaft; a motor configured to generate a torque applied to the steering shaft; and a control unit configured to control the motor. The control unit has a function of performing steering angle feedback control for causing a steering angle that is a rotation angle of a steering wheel to reach a target steering angle that is set based on a point of view of adjusting a rotational position of the steering wheel, as an adjustment process of adjusting the rotational position of the steering wheel. The control unit is configured to set a limit value for limiting a change range of the target steering angle with respect to the steering angle at each moment in a period in which automatic rotation of the steering wheel is hindered in a case where the automatic rotation is hindered while the adjustment process is being performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignees: JTEKT CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yusuke Kakimoto, Yoshiyuki Uchino, Kenji Shibata, Takafumi Sato
  • Patent number: 11834203
    Abstract: Drift-based rendezvous control system for controlling an operation of a spacecraft to rendezvous the spacecraft to a goal region over a finite time (FT) horizon. The system including accepting data including values of spacecraft states at a specified time period within the FT horizon. A processor at the specified time period selects a set of drift regions corresponding to a desired goal region at a location on an orbit where the target is located at the specified time period. Update a controller having a model of dynamics of the spacecraft with the accepted data. Formulate the set of drift regions as a penalty in a cost function of the updated controller. Generate control commands resulting in a real-time drift-based control policy where upon entering the drift region, the thrusters are turned off in order to minimize an amount of operation of the thrusters while rendezvousing with the desired goal region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC RESEARCH LABORATORIES INC.
    Inventors: Avishai Weiss, Daniel Aguilar Marsillach, Stefano Di Cairano
  • Patent number: 11835967
    Abstract: Embodiments described herein include a method of receiving, by a moving assisting vehicle, a calibration assistance request related to a moving ego vehicle that requested assistance in collaborative calibration of a sensor deployed on the moving ego vehicle. The method further includes analyzing the calibration assistance request to extract at least one of a schedule or an assistance route associated with the requested assistance. The method includes communicating with the moving ego vehicle about a desired location relative to the position of the moving ego vehicle for the moving assisting vehicle to be in order to assist the sensor to acquire information of a target present on the moving assisting vehicle. The method includes facilitating to drive the moving assisting vehicle to reach the desired location to achieve the collaborative calibration of the sensor on the moving ego vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: PlusAI, Inc.
    Inventor: Ankur Agarwal
  • Patent number: 11834116
    Abstract: Machine-learning-based steering torque non-uniformity compensation for vehicles is enabled. For example, a system can comprise a memory that stores computer executable components, and a processor that executes the computer executable components stored in the memory, wherein the computer executable components comprise: a machine learning component that generates a steering non-uniformity model based on machine learning applied to past steering data representative of positions and steering ratios of a steering wheel of a vehicle, and a torque compensation component that, using current position data representative of a current position of the steering wheel and the steering non-uniformity model, determines a torque to apply to the steering wheel configured to offset a steering non-uniformity at the current position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: VOLVO CAR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenneth Ekström, Carl-Johan Häll
  • Patent number: 11835955
    Abstract: A vehicle (e.g., an agricultural vehicle or other off-road vehicle) comprising a track system can be monitored to obtain information regarding the vehicle, including information regarding the track system, such as one or more parameters (e.g., a temperature, a pressure, an acceleration, an identifier, etc.) of the track system and/or one or more characteristics of an environment of the track system (e.g., a compliance, a profile, a soil moisture level, etc. of the ground beneath the track system), which can be used for various purposes, such as, for example, to: convey the information to a user (e.g., an operator of the vehicle); control the vehicle (e.g., a speed of the vehicle, operation of a work implement, etc.); transmit the information to a remote party (e.g., a provider such as a manufacturer or distributor of the track system and/or of the vehicle; a supplier of a substance such as fertilizer used where the vehicle is located; etc.); control equipment (e.g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Camso Inc.
    Inventors: Simon Richard, Eric Blondeau, Jean-Francois Migneault, Ghislain Laperle, Michel Deslauriers, David Gingras, Jeremie Zuchoski, Jake Dalphond, Stephan Georgiev, Martin Tremblay
  • Patent number: 11835953
    Abstract: An autonomy system for use with a vehicle in an environment. The autonomy system comprising a processor operatively coupled with a memory device, a plurality of sensors operatively coupled with the processor; a vehicle controller, a situational awareness module, a task planning module, and a task execution module. The situational awareness module being configured to determine a state of the environment based at least in part on sensor data from at least one of the plurality of sensors. The task planning module being configured to identify, via the processor, a plurality of tasks to be performed by the vehicle and to generate a task assignment list from the plurality of tasks that is based at least in part on predetermined optimization criteria. The task execution module being configured to instruct the vehicle controller to execute the plurality of tasks in accordance with the task assignment list.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation
    Inventors: Jason Ryan, Jeffery Saunders
  • Patent number: 11834115
    Abstract: A steering system includes a steering shaft; a reaction motor; and a control unit configured to control the reaction motor. The control unit has a function of performing a correction process of rotating the steering wheel using the reaction motor such that a displacement in a rotational position of the steering wheel with respect to a correct rotational position corresponding to a turning position of the turning wheels decreases when a power supply of the vehicle is turned on and the rotational position of the steering wheel is different from the correct rotational position. The control unit is configured to perform the correction process when the displacement is equal to or greater than a predetermined permissible value and not to perform the correction process when the displacement is less than the permissible value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignees: JTEKT CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yusuke Kakimoto, Yoshiyuki Uchino, Kenji Shibata, Takafumi Sato