Patents Examined by John Q. Nguyen
  • Patent number: 9202382
    Abstract: A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing code causes a processor at a first vehicle (e.g., a first autonomous vehicle) to generate a first planned path based on a current position of the first vehicle and a mission requirement assigned to the first vehicle. A first planned path associated with a second vehicle (e.g., a second autonomous vehicle), which is based on a current position of the second vehicle and a mission requirement assigned to the second vehicle, is received at the first vehicle. After the first planned path associated with the second vehicle is received, a second planned path is generated based on the first planned path associated with the second vehicle and at least one of the mission requirement assigned to the first vehicle or the first planned path of the first vehicle. The second planned path of the first vehicle is transmitted to the second vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: Proxy Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: John Solomon Klinger, Robert F. Davis
  • Patent number: 9199624
    Abstract: A method of controlling a brake system of a vehicle. The method may include determining whether an environmental brake pad wear condition is detected that may be indicative of wear of a friction material of a brake pad assembly due to an environmental contaminant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: ArvinMeritor Technology, LLC
    Inventors: Daniel Philpott, Joseph Kay
  • Patent number: 9204261
    Abstract: A vehicular control apparatus (1) is provided with: an obtaining device (3) capable of receiving an electric wave from an electric wave communication base (E10, E20, N10 etc.) which emits the electric wave for providing driving assistance service to a plurality of vehicles which respectively drive on a plurality of service roads (10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 20A etc.), and of obtaining a plurality of road data (520A, 520B, 520C, 520D) respectively corresponding to the plurality of service roads managed by the electric wave communication base; and a weighting device (140) for applying, to each of the obtained plurality of road data, weighting information indicating importance for specifying one service road that one vehicle enters and indicating importance for providing the driving assistance services in association with the one service road.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshio Mukaiyama
  • Patent number: 9194955
    Abstract: A method for obtaining data and communicating with a bicycle mounted cloud based activity monitor is provided. The method includes accepting into a server a plurality of sensor data and GPS location coordinates from a device attached to a bicycle, wherein the activity monitor communicates data to the cloud server via a wireless coupling. The method further includes writing information relating to sensor, GPS, and alarm functions from the cloud based server into the bike mounted activity tracker via a wireless link.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: WI-MM Corporation
    Inventors: Kevin Fahrner, Leslie Levitt, Pablo Echavarria
  • Patent number: 9193375
    Abstract: The improved steering apparatus is an invention that increases vehicular operational safety by providing means for a vehicle operator to control various vehicle functions and accessories while keeping both hands on the steering apparatus. The apparatus also automatically provides for the display of a variety of driver relevant information including automatic live video (160) feed of blind spots, rear vehicle cabin area, and road sign information (320), by displaying the information on the steering apparatus mounted video screen. The apparatus includes a built-in speaker (170) and is controlled by either voice commands or by a touching of the touch activatable video display screen (160).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: Autoliv ASP, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael R. Schramm, Brent A. Parks, Marcus T. Clark, David J. Green, Guy R. Letendre, Lori S. Westgate
  • Patent number: 9194711
    Abstract: A method of operation of a navigation system includes: identifying a device location; selecting a maneuver type with the device location; and determining a junction-type with the maneuver type for displaying on a device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Inventor: Wei Lu
  • Patent number: 9193430
    Abstract: To provide a technique capable of adjusting a tilt angle of a ship propulsion machine body with respect to a hull to a tilt angle suitable for a travelling state easily and with high accuracy. A motor adjusting a tilt angle of a ship propulsion machine body with respect to a hull and a control device controlling drive of the motor so as to change the tilt angle in accordance with an output from a hull angle sensor detecting a hull angle as an angle of the hull with respect to the water surface are included.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: SHOWA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Narimasa Hosoya, Hayato Tsutsui, Shinya Horie
  • Patent number: 9193224
    Abstract: A travelling state determination unit of a tire pressure detector determines a travelling state of a vehicle based on a gravitational component force detected by an acceleration sensor. An operation mode switching unit of the tire pressure detector switches the operation mode of the tire pressure detector from a pressure determination mode to an automatic locating mode when the vehicle speed become lower than a threshold value. An interval of period transmission of radio waves in the automatic locating mode is set to be shorter than an interval of the periodic radio wave transmission in the pressure determination mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOKAI RIKA DENKI SEISAKUSHO
    Inventors: Masanori Kosugi, Taketoshi Sakurai
  • Patent number: 9197440
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for controlling a sensor system (10) for a vehicle (100), comprising at least one or two sensors (11, 12) which have respective detection regions (11b, 12b) and metrologically detect changes in these detection regions (11b, 12b) and emit them as measured signals (11a, 12a), a control unit (15), especially in the form of a microprocessing unit which is connected to the sensors (11, 12), the control unit (15) evaluating the measured signals (11a, 12a) and generating at least one control signal (16) based thereon, at least one memory (18) in which at least the last control signal (16) is stored, and an interface (19) via which the control unit (15) forwards at least the last control signal to an external control module (21). At least one measured signal (11a, 12a) of a sensor (11, 12) is detected by the control unit (15) in a number of measurement steps (11.1-4, 12.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: HUF HULSBECK & FURST GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventor: Peter Van Gastel
  • Patent number: 9194484
    Abstract: A control system for a transmission of a vehicle includes a first angular rotation module, a second angular rotation module, and a lash module. The first angular rotation module determines a first angular rotation of a first shaft during a first predetermined period based on a first signal generated by a first shaft sensor. The second angular rotation module determines a second angular rotation of a second shaft during the first predetermined period based on a second signal generated by a second shaft sensor. The lash module selectively detects lash between gears of the transmission based on the first angular rotation and the second angular rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Dongxu Li, Timothy R. Stockdale
  • Patent number: 9189958
    Abstract: A method for optimizing the provision of a predictive eHorizon in a driver assistance system. A method for providing a predictive eHorizon in a driver assistance system is provided, wherein a horizon provider in a driver assistance system makes information about an expected route course available to an assistance application. The horizon provider creates a planning table including information about the expected route course and/or including data to be provided as a function of the route course, associated with an expected position of the vehicle in the planning table. The planning table data to be provided by the assistance system application are taken at least partially from the planning table as a function of the current position of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH
    Inventors: Robert Gee, Ulrich Stählin
  • Patent number: 9187098
    Abstract: A system and method for controlling movement of a vehicle body is disclosed. The system and method determines conditions operator input, vehicle speed, and a selected gear. PTO engagement, hydraulic valve displacement, and engine speed commands are determined in response to the conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Kraig Love, Mahendra Upadahyaya
  • Patent number: 9182236
    Abstract: A system for performing post processing of GNSS and INS measurement data and image data to provide highly accurate location information for a camera, an INS measurement unit or both performs first processing operations using the GNSS and INS measurement data, to determine position, velocity and attitude solutions. The system then analyzes the solutions to determine which measurement data provide sufficiently reliable solutions from which to determine the precise position, velocity and attitude of the camera, and thus, which measurement data do not provide sufficiently reliable solutions. The system and method then performs more time consuming and processing intensive processing operations using the measurement data and camera image data that are associated with solutions that are not sufficiently reliable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: NovAtel Inc.
    Inventor: Gregory J. Roesler
  • Patent number: 9183740
    Abstract: A travel interval division part and a low fuel consumption travel pattern generation part are included, the travel interval division part dividing, based on a reference travel pattern indicating a speed and a travel time period in a case where a vehicle travels without consideration of energy consumption and based on travel route information indicating a travel route that the vehicle travels, the travel route into a plurality of travel intervals at a plurality of reference points, the low fuel consumption travel pattern generation part determining a low fuel consumption travel pattern in which a travel time period of each travel interval falls within a predetermined range of a travel time period of each travel interval of the reference travel pattern and a cumulative speed increase amount in each travel interval is smaller than that of the reference travel pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Yuko Ota, Masahiko Ikawa, Norihiro Nishiuma, Yoshitsugu Sawa, Hiroyuki Kumazawa, Takashi Irie
  • Patent number: 9184778
    Abstract: A vehicle information gathering system comprises an onboard communication device, an onboard storage device and an onboard controller. The onboard communication device communicates with external data sources. The onboard storage device stores a data set comprising at least one data subset reference. The onboard controller automatically determines an availability of each of the external data sources, assigns a respective communication priority to each data subset reference based on the availability of each of the external data sources and at least one priority criteria, assigns at least one external data source to each data subset reference based on the availability and the priority criteria, and controls the communication device to communicate with at least one external data source based on the respective communication priority assigned to each data subset reference to receive at least one data subset via the assigned external data source for storage on the storage device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventor: Adrian K. Tan
  • Patent number: 9182234
    Abstract: A fishfinder data display device is provided. The display device includes a memory for storing fishfinder data obtained by a fishfinder detecting underwater and a location where the fishfinder data is acquired so as to associate the fishfinder data with the location, a display unit for displaying an image created based on the fishfinder data, and a controller, when an operator performs a specifying operation to a predetermined part of the image displayed by the display unit, for reading the location corresponding to the fishfinder data based on the specified predetermined part of the image from the memory, and causing an autopilot device to execute an autopilot operation with the location as a destination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: FURUNO ELECTRIC COMPANY LIMITED
    Inventors: Akira Ninomiya, Shuji Wada
  • Patent number: 9180884
    Abstract: In a working vehicle, it is possible to achieve a downsizing of an engine by securing an output torque in a low rotating region of the engine without using any supercharger. In the working vehicle having the engine mounted to a travel machine body, a common rail type fuel injection device which injects fuel to the engine, and a continuously variable transmission which shifts power from the engine, a rotating speed N of the engine is limited to two kinds, N#1 and N#2. Further, a change gear ratio of the continuously variable transmission is changed and regulated in such a manner as not to change a vehicle speed of the travel machine body before and after changing the rotation speed N whichever of the two kinds N#1 and N#2 the rotating speed N of the engine is changed to.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: Yanmar Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Motoyuki Shioiri, Tomohisa Tao, Takeshi Oouchida, Tadao Hirai
  • Patent number: 9182241
    Abstract: Disclosed is a feature for a vehicle that enables taking precautionary actions in response to conditions on the road network around or ahead of the vehicle, in particular, an unusually narrow road width or lane width. A database that represents the road network is used to determine locations where an unusually narrow road width or lane width exists along roads. Then, precautionary action data is added to the database to indicate a location at which a precautionary action is to be taken about the location where the unusually narrow road width or lane width exists. A precautionary action system installed in a vehicle uses this database, or a database derived therefrom, in combination with a positioning system to determine when the vehicle is at a location that corresponds to the location of a precautionary action. When the vehicle is at such a location, a precautionary action is taken by a vehicle system as the vehicle is approaching a location where the unusually narrow road width or lane width exists.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: HERE Global B.V.
    Inventor: Robert Denaro
  • Patent number: 9181891
    Abstract: A method and a device for identifying errors in emission-relevant control devices of a vehicle, such as the injection of fuel into a cylinder, allows error identification even if none of the sub-systems exceeds a predetermined threshold value. The method has the following steps: determining whether at least one parameter, which permits conclusions to be drawn about the emission behavior of the respective control device, lies in a desired range; if the parameter lies outside said desired range, an error value that correlates to an increase in emissions is stored; if the parameter is in the desired range, an error value of zero is stored; a total error value is formed from all error values of the control device and an error message is output if the total error value exceeds a predetermined threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
    Inventors: Carl-Eike Hofmeister, Michael Käsbauer
  • Patent number: 9174596
    Abstract: A control unit for activating an occupant protection unit includes, at least one analyzer circuit and at least one other component causing the activation. The at least one analyzer circuit transmits a signal to the at least one component as a function of an error event. The at least one other component performs a setting and at least one reset as a function of the signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventor: Norman Schuetze