Patents Examined by Edward Torchinsky
  • Patent number: 9975531
    Abstract: A vehicle brake control device includes an electric motor controlled based on a target energization amount calculated based on an operation amount (Bpa) of a braking operation member. Based on the operation amount (Bpa), it is determined whether or not an inertia compensation control for compensating for the influence of the inertia of a brake actuator is necessary. When the inertia compensation control is determined to be necessary, an inertia compensation energization amount for compensating for the influence of the inertia of the brake actuator is calculated based on a time-series pattern set in advance based on the maximum response of the brake actuator. Based on the inertia compensation energization amount, the target energization amount is calculated. The vehicle brake control device is thus able to generate a braking torque that appropriately compensates for the influence of the inertia of the entire device including the inertia of the electric motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: ADVICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Yasui, Hiroyuki Kodama, Naotoshi Satake
  • Patent number: 9953523
    Abstract: Vehicle position data from vehicles on a roadway are received. Affected nodes of the roadway are identified based on the vehicle position data. The roadway graph, representative of the roadway, is updated based on the affected nodes of the roadway. Routes of each vehicle are optimized based on updates to the roadway graph. An indication of change in the route of each vehicle may be provided for display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: HERE Global B.V.
    Inventor: Eric Linder
  • Patent number: 9953540
    Abstract: Drone space is defined according to a building model and a buffer space. At least one three-dimensional geometry is identified from the building model. The buffer space is calculated from the three-dimensional geometry. Coordinates for a drone air space are defined based on the buffer space. At least one path segment may be identified based on the coordinates for the drone air space, and the coordinates for drone air space are stored in a map database in association with the at least one path segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: HERE Global B.V.
    Inventors: Jane Macfarlane, Jeffrey Adachi, Aaron Dannenbring
  • Patent number: 9947232
    Abstract: A method for providing landing assistance for an aircraft is provided. The method analyzes terrain data; identifies one or more landing zones, based on analyzing the terrain data, each of the one or more landing zones comprising a flat area lacking obstacles to aircraft landing; and presents the one or more landing zones via a display element onboard the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Amit Srivastav, Travis Pike, Sajeev Achuthan Divakaran, Sreedhar Garbham, Krishna Idupunur
  • Patent number: 9937954
    Abstract: Provided is a steering reaction force control apparatus for a vehicle including a driving support device configured to control an electric power steering device via a controller so that a steered angle of steered wheels reaches a target steered angle. When the driving support device is operating, the controller calculates a target steering attenuation torque based on a steering angular velocity that is a time derivative of the steering angle or a time derivative of a corrected steering angle acquired by correcting the steered angle with a target steered angle of the driving support device. When the magnitude of the steering angular velocity is less than a reference value, the target steering attenuation torque is calculated so that the magnitude of the target steering attenuation torque becomes smaller when the driving support device is operating compared with when the driving support device is not operating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshio Kudo
  • Patent number: 9922563
    Abstract: A method, system, and/or computer program product creates an unimpeded pathway on a roadway for a first self-driving vehicle (SDV). One or more processor(s) determine a first vehicle priority level of the first SDV. The processor(s) determine other vehicle priority levels for other SDVs that are traveling on different lanes on a roadway, and then determine that the first vehicle priority level is higher than any of the other vehicle priority levels. Based on this determination, the processor(s) direct SDV on-board computers on the other SDVs to adjust spacing distances between the other SDVs, such that adjusted spacing distances between the other SDVs provide a pathway on the roadway for the first SDV that includes unobstructed lane changes, thus permitting the first SDV to maneuver around the other SDVs on the roadway in an unimpeded manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: James E. Bostick, John M. Ganci, Jr., Martin G. Keen, Sarbajit K. Rakshit
  • Patent number: 9908543
    Abstract: A sensing system includes a leading sensor, a trailing sensor, and a route examining unit. The leading sensor is onboard a first vehicle of a vehicle system that is traveling along a route. The leading sensor measures first characteristics of the route as the vehicle system moves along the route. The trailing sensor is disposed onboard a second vehicle of the vehicle system. The trailing sensor measures second characteristics of the route as the vehicle system moves along the route. The route examining unit is disposed onboard the vehicle system and receives the first characteristics of the route and the second characteristics of the route to compare the first characteristics with the second characteristics. The route examining unit also identifies a segment of the route as being damaged based on a comparison of the first characteristics with the second characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jared Klineman Cooper, Mark Bradshaw Kraeling, Eugene Smith, James Glen Corry, David Lowell McKay, Brian Joseph McManus, Keith Szewczyk, Joseph Forrest Noffsinger
  • Patent number: 9905058
    Abstract: A method for supporting the troubleshooting on a technical object, in particular on a motor vehicle, includes receiving first diagnostic data from at least one object control device and transmitting the data to a diagnostic server; forming, from particular transmitted first diagnostic data, at least one set of first diagnostic data and assigning at least one first diagnostic result to the set of first diagnostic data; storing the first diagnostic data sets generated in the course of successive diagnoses in a first database; comparing the diagnostic data and/or the diagnostic result of each diagnostic data set of the first diagnostic data sets with the diagnostic data and/or the diagnostic result of predefined second diagnostic data sets, which are stored in a second database and each of which contains a set of second diagnostic data and a second diagnostic result assigned to the set of second diagnostic data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Klaus Schneider, Mirko Wagner
  • Patent number: 9902387
    Abstract: A method and system for management of a vacuum pump connected to a braking system of a motor vehicle, and use of an electronic control unit connected to the vacuum pump. At least one differential pressure threshold associated with the vacuum pump, selected from a first differential pressure threshold controlling stopping of operation of the vacuum pump, a second differential pressure threshold controlling starting of the vacuum pump, and a third differential pressure threshold, lower than the second threshold and signalling alerts representative of operating faults, is determined by taking into account a first set of data representative of the detection or otherwise of a repetitive braking situation and/or a second set of data representative of altitude of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: RENAULT s.a.s.
    Inventors: Frederic Perain, Pierre Garnier, Sophie Constant, Borhen Felah
  • Patent number: 9875257
    Abstract: A mobile terminal includes: a communication unit communicating with an external device; an image reception judgment unit determining whether an image is received from the external device; a location information extraction unit extracting location information included in an image received from the external device; a vehicle connection judgment unit determining whether the mobile terminal is connected to a vehicle; and a location information transmission unit transmitting the location information to the vehicle via the communication unit when the mobile terminal is connected to the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventor: Un Hwan Sol
  • Patent number: 9862411
    Abstract: A control system and method for a hydraulic-power steering system of a vehicle including magnetic torque overlay (MTO) is provided. The control system and method minimize undesirable vibration in a handwheel of the vehicle as a result of disturbance in its front road wheels (e.g., road-wheel imbalance). In the control system and method, a base torque command is determined or generated. At least the base torque command is passed to a disturbance-rejection module. The disturbance-rejection module modifies the base torque command to minimize the vibration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: STEERING SOLUTIONS IP HOLDING CORPORATION
    Inventors: Joel E. Birsching, Anthony J. Champagne, Michael K. Hales
  • Patent number: 9862500
    Abstract: A method of determining the longitudinal air speed VairX and the longitudinal ground speed VsolX of a rotary wing aircraft depending on the exposure of the aircraft to the wind, the aircraft flying at a speed of advance Va. The method making it possible to determine characteristic speed curves for the aircraft depending on the longitudinal speed of the relative wind to which the aircraft is subjected, and then during a flight and depending on the actions of the pilot of the aircraft, to deduce the longitudinal ground speed VsolX and the longitudinal air speed VairX to be applied to the aircraft depending on variations in the longitudinal speed of the relative wind to which the aircraft is subjected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: AIRBUS HELICOPTERS
    Inventor: Marc Salesse-Lavergne
  • Patent number: 9857181
    Abstract: A method for assessing operation of a navigation system onboard a vehicle is provided. The method determines a sensor-based lateral offset change using vehicle onboard sensor data; determines a second lateral offset change using navigation system data; computes a difference between the sensor-based lateral offset change and the second lateral offset change; performs secondary calculations using the difference to produce a result; and when the result is greater than a threshold error value, provides an error notification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC.
    Inventors: Xiaofeng Frank Song, Xian Zhang, Dmitriy Feldman, Paul A. Adam
  • Patent number: 9849896
    Abstract: A system for managing the transportation of crude oil by rail includes a user terminal having a display screen and a processing system coupled to the user terminal through a communications link. The processing system is operable to generate a user interface on the display screen of the user terminal receiving input information from a user, including information indicating a loading facility for loading a selected set of railcars and an unloading facility for unloading the selected set of railcars. The processing system is further operable to forecast an arrival time for the set of cars at the loading facility and an arrival time for the set of cars at the unloading facility and display the forecasted arrival times at the loading and unloading facilities on the display screen of the user terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: BNSF Railway Company
    Inventors: Steven Mitchell Painter, Martin Andrew Schlenker, Robert Joseph Saylor, Michelle Rae Flanery, Brandon Jay Archambeau, Gregory Lee Palcich, Joshua Landon Gary, Vipin Gangadhar Kohale, Robert Wayne Lease, Caleb Mikel Peterson
  • Patent number: 9841762
    Abstract: This patent application discloses methods and systems for alerting computerized motor-vehicles about predicted accidents. In an example method, a motor vehicle alerts another motor vehicle about a predicted accident, even though that accident is between the alerting car and a third motor vehicle—for example, the alert is transmitted by non-visual electromagnetic (EM) radiation. When an adjacent motor vehicle receives such accident alert and determines it might itself be hit, it will react so as to minimize its chances of being hit or at least to minimize the damage if it is being hit. Optionally, one or more of the motor vehicles has an onboard device for measuring a blood-alcohol level of a human driver thereof. The measured blood-alcohol level may be used to compute a probability of an occurrence of an accident and/or may be included in one or more of the transmitted accident alerts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: COMIGO LTD.
    Inventors: Dov Moran, Menahem Lasser
  • Patent number: 9811084
    Abstract: A device receives a request for a mission that includes traversal of a flight path from a first location to a second location and performance of mission operations, and calculates the flight path from the first location to the second location based on the request. The device determines required capabilities for the mission based on the request, and identifies UAVs based on the required capabilities for the mission. The device generates flight path instructions for the flight path and mission instructions for the mission operations, and provides the flight path/mission instructions to the identified UAVs to permit the identified UAVs to travel from the first location to the second location, via the flight path, and to perform the mission operations at the second location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc.
    Inventors: Ashok N. Srivastava, Douglas M. Pasko, Hani Batla, Igor Kantor, Gurpreet Ubhi
  • Patent number: 9789809
    Abstract: A method for aligning an illuminated area of a headlight of a vehicle as a function of the surroundings of the vehicle, includes classifying at least one other vehicle in the surroundings of the vehicle as a function of a piece of information concerning a position of the other vehicle in relation to the vehicle, determining a target position of the headlight, with disregard of the other vehicle, when the other vehicle is classified as passing the vehicle or as being passed by the vehicle, and providing a signal for moving the headlight into the target position while the vehicle is being passed by the other vehicle or is passing the other vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventor: Johannes Foltin
  • Patent number: 9792739
    Abstract: An operation monitoring system for a machine is provided. The operation monitoring system includes a frame and a dump body. The operation monitoring system further includes an inertial measurement unit to measure acceleration and rotation of the dump body. The operation monitoring system further includes a position determination unit to determine position of the machine. The operation monitoring system further includes a time logging unit to record a time entry. The operation monitoring system further includes a processing unit in communication with the inertial measurement unit, the position determination unit and the time logging unit. The processing unit is configured to determine operation states of the machine based on the received signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventor: Anders C. Thomsen
  • Patent number: 9751561
    Abstract: A disclosed method of maneuvering a vehicle-trailer unit in reverse travel with a backing system includes, among other things, determining that the vehicle-trailer unit is backing up with an electronic control unit for the backing system. A current hitch angle is determined, which represents the relative angle between the vehicle and the trailer with the electronic control unit. A requested hitch angle rate of change versus distance traveled is calculated with the electronic control unit, wherein the requested hitch angle rate of change is based upon an input which provides a requested hitch angle rate of change signal value. A steering angle is calculated with the electronic control unit based upon the requested hitch angle rate of change, wherein the steering angle will allow movement of the vehicle-trailer unit in the reverse direction to obtain the requested hitch angle rate of change; and a request is sent to a steering system to provide the steering angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Brandon Herzog, David Leslie Agnew, Andre Payant
  • Patent number: 9751605
    Abstract: A method for controlling a trim system on a marine vessel includes receiving an actual trim position of a trimmable marine device at a controller and determining a trim position error by comparing the actual trim position to a target trim position with the controller. The method also includes determining an acceleration rate of the marine vessel. In response to determining that the trim position error exceeds a first error threshold and the magnitude of the acceleration rate exceeds a given rate threshold, the controller commands the marine device to the target trim position. In response to determining that the trim position error exceeds the first error threshold and the acceleration rate does not exceed the given rate threshold, the controller commands the marine device to a setpoint trim position that is different from the target trim position. An associated system is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: Brunswick Corporation
    Inventors: Steven M. Anschuetz, Steven J. Andrasko, Andrew J. Przybyl