Patents Examined by Dale Hilgendorf
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Patent number: 9846051Abstract: A navigation system for a motor vehicle includes: an off-board navigation system spatially separated from the motor vehicle, for calculating a suggested route for the motor vehicle; a wireless communication connection between the off-board navigation system and the motor vehicle, for transmitting the suggested route to the motor vehicle; and a man-machine interface arranged in the motor vehicle, for outputting the suggested route to an operator of the motor vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: July 29, 2013Date of Patent: December 19, 2017Assignee: VOLKSWAGEN AGInventors: Arne Stoschek, Brian Ng, Philippe Alessandrini, Daniel Rosario
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Patent number: 9760092Abstract: Methods and devices for actively modifying a field of view of an autonomous vehicle in view of constraints are disclosed. In one embodiment, an example method is disclosed that includes causing a sensor in an autonomous vehicle to sense information about an environment in a first field of view, where a portion of the environment is obscured in the first field of view. The example method further includes determining a desired field of view in which the portion of the environment is not obscured and, based on the desired field of view and a set of constraints for the vehicle, determining a second field of view in which the portion of the environment is less obscured than in the first field of view. The example method further includes modifying a position of the vehicle, thereby causing the sensor to sense information in the second field of view.Type: GrantFiled: March 16, 2012Date of Patent: September 12, 2017Assignee: Waymo LLCInventors: David I. Ferguson, Jiajun Zhu
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Patent number: 9639688Abstract: In one or more embodiments, a vehicle resource usage control system includes a vehicle computer having security policies that define usage rules for one or more vehicle resources. One or more devices communicating with the vehicle computer may have installed in memory software applications that use one or more vehicle resources for operation. Programmed instructions may be received that define which of the one or more vehicle resources the software applications use for operation. These programmed instructions may be associated with the one or more security policies. The security policy associated with the software applications may be determined based on the programmed instructions. Operation of the software applications may be permitted according to the security policy.Type: GrantFiled: May 27, 2010Date of Patent: May 2, 2017Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Michael Raymond Westra, Sandeep Singh Waraich, Sukhwinder Wadhwa, Michael J. Schanerberger, Jason Bernard Johnson, Julius Marchwicki
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Patent number: 9542846Abstract: A vehicle lateral control system includes a lane marker module configured to determine a heading and displacement of a vehicle in response to images received from a secondary sensing device, a lane information fusion module configured to generate vehicle and lane information in response to data received from heterogeneous vehicle sensors and a lane controller configured to generate a collision free vehicle path in response to the vehicle and lane information from the lane information fusion module and an object map.Type: GrantFiled: February 28, 2011Date of Patent: January 10, 2017Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLCInventors: Shuqing Zeng, Jeremy A. Salinger, William J. Chundrlik, Jr.
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Patent number: 9511731Abstract: A control device and a method for triggering passenger protection means for a vehicle are provided, the passenger protection means being triggered as a function of at least one signal from an impact sensor system and at least one precrash signal. The at least one precrash signal is evaluated as a function of a classification of at least one functionality, the functionality being influenced as a function of the least one precrash signal.Type: GrantFiled: March 27, 2009Date of Patent: December 6, 2016Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBHInventors: Alfred Kuttenberger, Marc Theisen
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Patent number: 9457749Abstract: A control unit and a method for activating an occupant protection unit for a vehicle are provided, the occupant protection unit being activated as a function of a first signal of a first sensor system. The activation is validated as a function of an additional sensor signal, which validation is performed by gating at least one acceleration signal and at least one structure-borne noise signal as the sensor signals.Type: GrantFiled: July 11, 2008Date of Patent: October 4, 2016Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBHInventor: Hoang Trinh
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Patent number: 9457811Abstract: A method for restarting an engine of a vehicle stopped on a grade, comprising the steps of engaging a gear of a transmission through which the engine and wheels of the vehicle are driveably connected mutually, using brake pressure to engage wheel brakes and produce a road gradient wheel torque that holds the vehicle stationary on the grade, initiating an engine restart, operating the engine to produce wheel torque equal to or greater than the road gradient wheel torque, and releasing the brake pressure.Type: GrantFiled: September 17, 2009Date of Patent: October 4, 2016Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLCInventors: Hai Yu, Ryan A. McGee, Ihab S. Soliman, Mathew A. Boesch
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Patent number: 9250624Abstract: The invention relates to an industrial robot and a method for programming an industrial robot, for which the industrial robot is guided manually to a virtual surface (25) in the room, at which point the industrial robot is selected such that it cannot be guided any further manually. Next, that force (F) and/or torque acting on the industrial robot when an attempt is made to guide the industrial robot further manually is ascertained and stored, despite reaching the virtual surface (25).Type: GrantFiled: December 10, 2008Date of Patent: February 2, 2016Assignee: KUKA Roboter GmbHInventor: Uwe Zimmermann
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Patent number: 8935055Abstract: In one embodiment, an adaptive external vehicle lighting system includes a vehicle communication network, a memory including program instructions for generating a model of a vehicle and the environment outside of the vehicle, identifying an object of interest based upon the generated model, analyzing rendering criteria associated with the identified object of interest, and rendering object of interest data based upon the analysis, a processor operably connected to the vehicle communication network and to the memory for executing the program instructions, and at least one rendering system operably connected to the processor through the vehicle communication network for rendering the object of interest data using an associated external lighting system of the vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: January 23, 2009Date of Patent: January 13, 2015Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbHInventors: Badri Raghunathan, Enylton M. Coelho, Jan Becker