Patents Examined by Anne Mazzara
  • Patent number: 9254843
    Abstract: Disclosed are an apparatus and a method of assisting parking, and the apparatus for assisting parking includes: an around view monitoring (AVM) system including a plurality of cameras mounted in a vehicle, and configured to combine images photographed by the respective cameras, and output a combined image signal in a form of an around view; a controller configured to analyze the combined image signal and detect a parking guide line, calculate a distance between the detected parking guide line and the vehicle, and generate control information corresponding to the calculated distance; and a guide unit configured to output control information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignee: HYUNDAI MOBIS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Seong Soo Lee
  • Patent number: 9239239
    Abstract: A software product for easy-to-use naming, coding, and sharing of locations, including those with no addresses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2016
    Assignee: Place Codes, Inc.
    Inventors: David B Ingerman, Jude X. Huang, Richard Earle Seeger, III
  • Patent number: 9235218
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are example embodiments for collision targeting for an unoccupied flying vehicle (UFV). For certain example embodiments, at least one machine, such as a UFV, may: (i) ascertain at least one target for at least one collision to include a UFV; or (ii) execute at least one maneuver to divert a UFV at least toward at least one target to induce at least one collision to include the UFV and the at least one target. However, claimed subject matter is not limited to any particular described embodiments, implementations, examples, or so forth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: Elwha LLC
    Inventors: Royce A. Levien, Robert W. Lord, Richard T. Lord, Mark A. Malamud, John D. Rinaldo, Jr., Lowell L. Wood, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9233655
    Abstract: Systems and methods for providing a cloud-based vehicle information and control ecosystem are disclosed. A particular embodiment includes: providing a first layer of a cloud-based vehicle information and control ecosystem, the first layer being in data communication with at least one network resource via a network cloud; providing a second layer of the cloud-based vehicle information and control ecosystem in data communication with the first layer, the second layer being in data communication with at least one mobile device; providing a third layer of the cloud-based vehicle information and control ecosystem in data communication with the second layer, the third layer including a subsystem for linking the third layer to at least one electronic control unit (ECU) of a vehicle; and causing, by use of a data processor, data indicative of a state change occurring in the at least one ECU to be communicated to a component in the first layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: CloudCar, Inc.
    Inventor: Peter Barrett
  • Patent number: 9221463
    Abstract: Disclosed are an automatic speed controllable vehicle and a speed controlling method thereof. The vehicle collects vehicle information and transmitted collected vehicle information to an RSE, and the RSE receives vehicle information from each vehicle within a management section and transmits again, to each vehicle, information required for each vehicle to adjust a speed. The vehicle receiving information required to adjust the speed may adjust the speed of the vehicle based on the received information and may display a warning notification for a driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: A Ra Choi
  • Patent number: 9221445
    Abstract: An electronically controllable braking system includes a hydraulic brake-pressure generator which generates the brake pressures for the wheel brakes. In the hydraulic connection to the brake-pressure generator, a valve arrangement has been assigned to each wheel brake in order to adjust the brake pressures demanded for the wheel brakes in the multiplex mode, for the purpose of operating the braking system. A method has the following steps: establishing for which of the wheel brakes the adjusting of the brake pressure demanded for it has priority in a current multiplex cycle; generating the brake pressure demanded for the wheel brake that has been set to priority; opening the valve arrangement that has been assigned to the wheel brake that has been set to priority; and closing the valve arrangements that have been assigned to the wheel brakes that have not been set to priority.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: Lucas Automotive GmbH
    Inventor: Hubert Schmitt
  • Patent number: 9224300
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for controlling autonomous vehicle platooning are disclosed. The apparatus for controlling autonomous vehicle platooning includes a frame format configuration unit, a synchronization unit, and a contention window assignment unit. The frame format configuration unit configures the format of a frame included in a communication channel applicable to the control of autonomous vehicle platooning. The synchronization unit synchronizes a plurality of vehicles with one another using the frame so that the vehicles can perform the autonomous vehicle platooning. The contention window assignment unit assigns the different contention window values of a slot for management of the frame to the respective synchronized vehicles. The control is performed using the assigned contention window values so that the vehicles can participate in the autonomous vehicle platooning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
    Inventors: Sangwoo Lee, Myungwook Park, Wooyong Han
  • Patent number: 9217644
    Abstract: Natural navigational guidance, provides enhanced guidance instructions that take advantage of unique geographic features along a navigated route to specify maneuver points. Guidance points are clearly visible, unambiguous, and locally unique features in the geography of the maneuver area that can be used to aid the user in discovering the place where the maneuver point is. Within a guidance point selection area, a specific guidance point type has a more strict area within which it can be used. A natural guidance point selection area for an upcoming maneuver to be navigated is determined, and a unique geographic feature within the determined natural guidance point selection area is selected as a natural guidance point for navigation of the upcoming maneuver. A turn-type natural guidance point for an upcoming maneuver to be navigated is generated when the user device is within the natural guidance point selection area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2015
    Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Brant Miller Clark, Mark Goddard, Diego Andres Kaplan
  • Patent number: 9211787
    Abstract: In a method for calibrating a measuring signal of an exhaust gas probe or a control signal of a fuel dosing device of a vehicle equipped with a hybrid drive including an internal combustion engine and at least one electric motor, the vehicle being able to be driven also by an electric motor exclusively, the gas transport for calibrating the signal of the exhaust gas probe or the fuel dosing device is induced by an engine drag operation of the vehicle, in which the internal combustion engine is dragged by the at least one electric motor while the fuel supply is deactivated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Bernhard Ledermann, Andreas Michalske, Christian Horn, Klaus Theiss, Bernhard Matrohs
  • Patent number: 9205843
    Abstract: A deceleration factor estimating device that estimates a deceleration factor of a vehicle includes a road load calculating unit configured to calculate a road load estimated value, and a filtering calculating unit configured to perform filtering processing of extracting a predetermined frequency component of the road load estimated value calculated by the road load calculating unit. The filtering calculating unit extracts a vehicle-originated road load component, an environment-originated road load component, and the like by filtering the road load estimated value to extract a certain predetermined frequency component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shinya Sannodo, Hirotada Otake
  • Patent number: 9200906
    Abstract: A method performed in connection with a handheld communication device for monitoring a context in a battery efficient manner and for detecting a vehicular motion context, the handheld communication device comprising a GPS hardware component, a network-based position estimation component and a data processor, the method comprising: acquiring a sequence of location data readings using the network-based position estimation component; identifying a non-vehicular motion context based on changes in the acquired sequence of the location data readings; if the non-vehicular motion context is identified, continuing to acquire the sequence of the location data readings; if the non-vehicular motion context is not identified, powering on the GPS hardware component and acquiring speed data using the GPS hardware component, determining whether the acquired speed is within predetermined vehicular speed ranges and identifying either a vehicular motion context or the non-vehicular motion context.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: DRIVEWAY SOFTWARE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Igor Katsman
  • Patent number: 9193479
    Abstract: Monitoring of high-lift systems for aircraft. In one configuration, a method for monitoring a high-lift system includes monitoring a first current draw of a first drive station of the high-lift system, and monitoring a second current draw of a second drive station of the high-lift system. The method further includes comparing the first current draw and the second current draw to determine if a differential between the first current draw and the second current draw exceeds a threshold, and generating a failure signal if the differential between the first current draw and the second current draw exceeds the threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: George Moy, Peter A. Padilla
  • Patent number: 9187185
    Abstract: The invention relates to a plane tractor which grips the nose gear of a plane, including: a chassis; wheel modules connected to the chassis, each wheel module including at least one actuator for inducing a vertical movement of the module in relation to the chassis; a gripping platform for gripping the nose gear of a plane, the platform together with the chassis having freedom of movement substantially in circular translation; and a damping and actuating means connecting the platform and the chassis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: ISRAEL AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES LTD.
    Inventors: Ran Braier, Arie Perry, Laurent Decoux, Eric Enault, Nicholas Vermalle
  • Patent number: 9175975
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a navigation device. The navigation device is arranged to dynamically generate multidimensional video signals based on location and directional information of the navigation device from 3D data set. The navigation device is further arranged to superimpose navigation directions and/or environment information about surrounding objects onto the generated multidimensional view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: RaayonNova LLC
    Inventor: Aleksandr Shtukater
  • Patent number: 9174830
    Abstract: According to the embodiments described herein, an industrial vehicle can include a camera and one or more processors. The camera can capture an input image of ceiling lights of the ceiling of the warehouse. The one or more processors can execute machine readable instructions to detect transversal edges from the ceiling lights of the input image. The machine readable instructions executed by the one or more processors can determine points of convergence between the transversal edges and a first edge line and a second edge line. The machine readable instructions executed by the one or more processors can select a set of point fixes from the points of convergence. The machine readable instructions executed by the one or more processors can navigate the industrial vehicle through the warehouse utilizing the centerline and the set of point fixes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: Crown Equipment Limited
    Inventor: Mark Bell
  • Patent number: 9174739
    Abstract: An active vibration control system includes a plurality of actuators corresponding to and disposed adjacent each engine of an aircraft, at least one sensor located within a passenger cabin of the aircraft and configured to detect a magnitude and frequency of one or more of vibration and sound produced by a respective engine and generate one or more of a vibration and sound feedback signal, and a controller connected to each of the plurality of actuators and each of the at least one sensor, the controller being configured to effect control of no more than two of the plurality of actuators for a respective engine based the feedback signal where the no more than two actuators effect suppression of one or more of vibration and sound of a respective engine due to rotating axis of the respective engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Hamid Jamshidiat, Laila M. Elias, Melvin Kosanchick, III
  • Patent number: 9174623
    Abstract: A braking force detector detects the braking force of a vehicle or a value based on which the braking force can be calculated. A steering torque sensor detects a steering torque of a steering wheel. A lateral acceleration sensor detects a lateral acceleration of the vehicle. A turning/braking judgment unit judges whether or not the vehicle is braking while turning. When the vehicle has been judged to be braking while turning, an abnormality judgment unit judges based on the steering torque and the lateral acceleration whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the braking force detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshihisa Yamada
  • Patent number: 9169603
    Abstract: A machine for cleaning a ballast bed has, in front of a take-up device relative to a working direction, a first signal receiver—suitable for position determination in a global navigational satellite system—for scanning an actual track position. A second signal receiver connected to the machine for scanning a new track position created by laying down the raised track onto the re-applied ballast bed is arranged downstream. Both signal receivers are associated with a control device designed to act on the drives that displace a track-lifting device relative to the machine frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2015
    Assignee: Franz Plasser Bahnbaumaschinen-Industrie-Gesellschaft mbH
    Inventor: Guenther Oberlechner
  • Patent number: 9162685
    Abstract: A method for operating a function in a motor vehicle employs a sensor arrangement with at least two spaced sensors for detecting operations caused by a user. Signals of a first sensor are monitored until a first characteristic signal answer is detected. A user-carried identification device is queried to verify authorization to access the requested function. Signals of a second sensor are monitored to determine an operation caused by approaching the second sensor. Signals from the first and second sensors are monitored for a predetermined time period t1. If the signals indicate a continued operation of the two sensors during t1, an expiration of t1 is signaled to the user. Signals of the first sensor are monitored for a predetermined time period t2. If the signal of the first sensor indicates a cancellation of the operation within t2, the function of the motor vehicle is triggered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: Huf Huelsbeck & Fuerst GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Mirko Schindler, Peter Van Gastel, Bernd Gerdes
  • Patent number: 9162730
    Abstract: A motor drive control apparatus for performing motor control that is stable and has a good efficiency includes: a speed processing unit that generates a first value by converting a second value corresponding to a current speed into a duty ratio; a torque processing unit that generates a third value by converting a fourth value corresponding to a target torque into the duty ratio; and a drive unit that controls switching by a switch included in a complementary switching amplifier by an average duty ratio corresponding to a sum of the first value and the third value to drive a motor connected to the complementary switching amplifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignees: MICROSPACE CORPORATION, TAIYO YUDEN CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masato Tanaka, Kazuo Asanuma, Yasuo Hosaka