Patents Examined by David Testardi
  • Patent number: 9862383
    Abstract: A method for operating a vehicle, whereby a first setpoint trajectory is ascertained at a first point in time, based on which a setpoint trajectory of the vehicle is controlled, wherein, at a second point in time which is subsequent to the first point in time, it is checked whether or not the actual trajectory of the vehicle can continue to be controlled based on the first setpoint trajectory, and if yes, the actual trajectory of the vehicle continues to be controlled based on the first setpoint trajectory, while if no, a second setpoint trajectory is ascertained based on which the actual trajectory of the vehicle is controlled. A driver assistance system and a computer program product are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventor: Charlotte Grinenval
  • Patent number: 9852642
    Abstract: One embodiment provides a method comprising receiving a flight plan request for a drone. The flight plan request comprises a drone identity, departure information, and arrival information. The method further comprises constructing a modified flight plan for the drone based on the flight plan request, wherein the modified flight plan represents an approved, congestion reducing, and executable flight plan for the drone, and the modified flight plan comprises a sequence of four-dimensional (4D) cells representing a planned flight path for the drone. For each 4D cell of the modified flight plan, the method further comprises attempting to place an exclusive lock on behalf of the drone on the 4D cell, and in response to a failure to place the exclusive lock on behalf of the drone on the 4D cell, rerouting the modified flight plan around the 4D cell to a random neighboring 4D cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Eric K. Butler, Anca A. Chandra, Pawan R. Chowdhary, Susanne M. Glissmann-Hochstein, Thomas D. Griffin, Divyesh Jadav, Sunhwan Lee, Hovey R. Strong, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9849880
    Abstract: Methods and systems are presented for improving performance of a vehicle operating in a cruise control mode where a controller adjusts torque output from a vehicle to maintain vehicle speed within a desired range. The methods and systems include adapting a vehicle dynamics model and a vehicle fuel consumption model that provide input to nonlinear model predictive controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignees: Ford Global Technologies, LLC, HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Anthony Mario D'Amato, Dimitar Petrov Filev, John Ottavio Michelini, Jaroslav Pekar, Ondrej Santin, Jonathan Thomas Mullen
  • Patent number: 9846860
    Abstract: A processor may determine that a first repair order (RO) of an existing cluster of ROs (e.g. corresponding to first and second vehicle symptoms and to first and second corrective actions) refers to a first vehicle related to a set of vehicles. The processor may identify ROs that refer to vehicles from the set and may determine among these identified ROs (i) a first relationship between the first symptom and the first action without the first symptom relating to the second action and/or (ii) a second relationship between the second symptom and the second action without the second symptom relating to the first action. The processor may (i) if the first relationship exists, add the first RO to a first different cluster corresponding to the first relationship and (ii) if the second relationship exists, add the first RO to a second different cluster corresponding to the second relationship.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignee: Snap-on Incorporated
    Inventors: Patrick S. Merg, Jacob G. Foreman, Bradley R. Lewis
  • Patent number: 9846044
    Abstract: A travel information recording system for associating travel information on a vehicle obtained immediately after travel through a branch location with an appropriate road segment includes: travel segment specifying unit for specifying a travel segment that is a road segment in which a vehicle is traveling; and travel information recorder for recording travel information on the vehicle obtained during travel in the travel segment in association with the travel segment in a storage medium. In the case where there occurs a segment variation in which the travel segment is varied from one of several road segments branched off from a branch location, the travel information recorder acquires the travel information to be recorded in association with a post-variation segment, which is the travel segment after the segment variation, on the basis of the travel information obtained before the segment variation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2017
    Assignees: AISIN AW CO., LTD., TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kenta Sanami, Satoshi Hirano, Takayuki Miyajima, Tomoki Kodan, Kuniaki Tanaka
  • Patent number: 9840274
    Abstract: An electric power steering control device, in which a control response capability in a low speed region can be improved, and a noise and a vibration can be suppressed, is provided. Although a control amount setter of the electric power steering control device performs a PI control computing in accordance with a deviation between a target current and an actual current, the control amount setter includes a gain setter which varies a gain of a proportion term in accordance with the deviation and a vehicle speed, and a control amount is computed in an integration term by using a predetermined constant gain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Yuji Takatsuka, Sadaaki Kamei
  • Patent number: 9834197
    Abstract: Section acquisition systems, methods, and programs acquire a scheduled travel route of a vehicle driven by at least one of an internal combustion engine or a motor. The systems, methods, and programs divide the scheduled travel route that is in a range of a predetermined distance from a current location into a plurality of sections such that a difference in traffic congestion degree is distinguished, and divide the scheduled travel route that is not in the range of the predetermined distance from the current location into a plurality of sections such that a difference in travel load is distinguished.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignees: AISIN AW CO., LTD., TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoshi Hirano, Takayuki Miyajima, Tomoki Kodan, Kuniaki Tanaka
  • Patent number: 9828118
    Abstract: A pilot assistance device includes information sources for determining automatically, in real time, a current vertical load factor of the aircraft, a computation unit for computing automatically, in real time, a flight director value using the current vertical load factor and a target vertical load factor representing a vertical load factor desired for the aircraft in the parabolic flight, the flight director value being computed in such a way as to be equal to a reference value when the current vertical load factor becomes equal to the target vertical load factor, and a display unit for presenting automatically, in real time, on a load factor scale, displayed on a screen of the cockpit of the aircraft, an indicator representative of the flight director value, computed by the computation unit, and an indicator indicating the reference value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS
    Inventor: Stéphane Walter
  • Patent number: 9827958
    Abstract: A sensor device for measuring the rotational speed at a wheel of a vehicle has a sensor carrier with an active sensor for actively sensing the rotation of a pole wheel rotating along with the wheel to measure rotational speed. The sensor carrier is constructed and arranged such that it can be clamped in the region of the wheel to permit the active sensor to be used without requiring complex adjustment operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: WABCO GmbH
    Inventors: Jurgen Dalisdas, Oliver Grundker, Siegfried Hofler
  • Patent number: 9821680
    Abstract: A method and a system for adjusting a vehicle seat for a user of a vehicle, in particular for a motor vehicle, are proposed, wherein the vehicle seat is configured for electrical adjustment in accordance with at least one adjustment direction, wherein the vehicle seat and/or the vehicle have/has a control unit, wherein the control unit is assigned at least one antenna unit for wirelessly receiving information relating to the adjustment of the vehicle seat for the user, wherein the method for adjusting the vehicle seat comprises the following method steps: in a first method step, the vehicle seat is assigned a telecommunications appliance, in a second method step, information is input at the telecommunications appliance or information is stored in a memory device of the telecommunications appliance, in a third method step following the second method step, the information is wirelessly transmitted from the telecommunications appliance to the control unit of the vehicle seat or of the vehicle by means of radio t
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: Johnson Controls GmbH
    Inventor: Wei Lange-Mao
  • Patent number: 9808705
    Abstract: Motorized skating systems and methods for controlling the systems are disclosed. One exemplary system may include a primary skate and a secondary skate. The primary skate may include a sensor configured to detect a tilting signal. The primary skate may also include a first processor. The processor may be configured to determine a first control signal for moving the primary skate based on the tilting signal and determine a motion signal for moving the secondary skate based on the first control signal. The primary skate may further include a first communication interface configured to send the motion signal to the secondary skate. The secondary skate may include a second communication interface configured to receive the motion signal from the first communication interface. The secondary skate may also include a second processor configured to determine a second control signal for moving the secondary skate based on the received motion signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: ACTON, INC.
    Inventors: Peter Treadway, Janelle Wang Treadway, Hang Zheng
  • Patent number: 9802565
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for operating a safety system of a vehicle, which safety system comprises a remote sensor, an impact sensor and a protection system adapted to be activated by the impact sensor. The method includes scanning a selectable region in front of the vehicle by means of the remote sensor, determining that the selectable region provides a free path for the vehicle based on information from the remote sensor, and lowering a sensitivity of the impact sensor. The disclosure further relates to the safety system and a vehicle comprising the safety system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: Volvo Car Corporation
    Inventors: Par Nilsson, Stefan Jarvholm, Peter Harda, Bjorn Johansson, Anders Dahlen
  • Patent number: 9795074
    Abstract: A method for automatically generating swath paths and navigating a vehicle along the generated swath paths using a controller includes the steps of: marking a plurality of field boundary points; storing the field boundary points in a memory unit of the vehicle; generating a field boundary defining the plurality of field boundary points connected to one another; selecting an edge of the field boundary as a base swath path; generating a plurality of subsequent swath paths from the base swath path; measuring a set of parameters of the vehicle; and automatically selecting one of the subsequent swath paths for the vehicle to follow based on the set of parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC
    Inventors: John Stratton, Matthew K. Payne, Tyson J. Dollinger, Matthew Lindsey
  • Patent number: 9791291
    Abstract: A method of generating map content includes receiving a service request including at least a start location from a computing device of a user, and selecting a service provider to provide the service request. The method further includes transmitting a confirmation to the computing device indicating that the selected service provider is traveling to the start location, and enabling map content to be displayed on a user interface of a service application on the computing device, the map content indicating at least the start location, and a dynamic location of the selected service provider while the selected service provider is traveling to the start location. The method also includes enabling dynamic zooming of the map content on the user interface based on the dynamic location of the selected service provider and at least one of the start location or a current location of the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: UBER TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Yuhki Yamashita, Didier Patrick Hilhorst, Bryant Jow, Peter Ng
  • Patent number: 9758048
    Abstract: A vehicle power-supplying system that wirelessly supply power to a vehicle includes a power-supplying coil installed at a location at which the vehicle can be stopped, first and second positioning posts whose positional relationship with the power-supplying coil is fixed, a position-identifying means installed in the vehicle and configured to identify a positional relationship of the power-supplying coil with the vehicle by detecting the first and second positioning posts, and a traveling support means configured to support traveling of the vehicle to the power-supplying coil based on the positional relationship with the power-supplying coil identified by the position-identifying means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: IHI CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akio Ueda
  • Patent number: 9758169
    Abstract: A vehicle comprises a fuel cell that is configured to receive supply of a fuel gas and generate electric power and a motor that is configured to be driven with the electric power generated by the fuel cell. The vehicle selectively sets a drive mode of the vehicle in an accelerator-off state between an ordinary mode and a deceleration enhanced mode that decelerates the vehicle with higher deceleration force than deceleration force in the ordinary mode. The vehicle performs regenerative control of the motor in the ordinary mode or performs deceleration control of generating the deceleration force in the deceleration enhanced mode, in order to decelerate the vehicle in the set drive mode. When an accelerator stroke based on a driver's depression of an accelerator becomes higher than a cancellation threshold in the drive mode set to the deceleration enhanced mode, the vehicle changes the drive mode from the deceleration enhanced mode to the ordinary mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenji Umayahara, Mitsuhiro Nada, Takuya Nakagami
  • Patent number: 9752885
    Abstract: An improved vehicle navigation system and method provides a route plan or alternative route based at least in part on evolved state information (e.g., a second traffic state, occurring some time after a first traffic state) from which time-efficiencies may be realized relative to navigation in a previous traffic state. Optionally, the route plan may identify an intermediate destination (e.g., such as a refueling or recharging station) and the schedule may allocate time for customer activities at the intermediate destination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: Alcatel Lucent
    Inventor: Matthias Sund
  • Patent number: 9744943
    Abstract: A fashionable bracelet operates as a remote car key fob and a clock. The bracelet provides multiple buttons allowing a user to operate the bracelet to control access to the vehicle coupled to the bracelet. The bracelet receives voice commands to operate the vehicle. Moreover, the bracelet incorporates a GPS subsystem for auto-piloting the vehicle to the location of the user. The bracelet further incorporates multiple LEDs to provide operational feedback to the user. The clock can be turned on and off using one of the buttons. The wireless key fob functions and the clock are controlled by a microcontroller disposed within the bracelet. The bracelet includes a battery to provide power to various components of the bracelet. The battery is operatively coupled to a solar panel. The bracelet is conveniently and securely attached to the wrist of the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Inventors: Matthew Kenyon Hiatt, Christopher Minuche, Brenden Alexander Pooley
  • Patent number: 9745035
    Abstract: In an apparatus for controlling an outboard motor mounted on a boat and having an internal combustion engine and a variable pitch propeller, characteristics defining a desired pitch angle of the propeller that makes fuel consumption minimum relative to a navigation speed of the boat are memorized and the pitch angle of the propeller is controlled to the desired pitch angle that is corresponding to the navigation speed detected by a navigation speed detector in accordance with the characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoki Hiroshima, Hiroshi Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 9739634
    Abstract: A system for providing multicomputer data transfer for transferring data between multiple devices that use the data after the multicomputer data transfer, includes a user profiles repository to store user profiles associated with users of client devices, and a content repository to store communication information. The system includes a platform device communicating with the client devices, the user profiles repository, and the content repository via networks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc.
    Inventor: Prakash A. Trivedi