Patents Examined by Jonathan Sample
  • Patent number: 7756602
    Abstract: An entertainment system is for a vehicle and includes a vehicle environment sensor apparatus that captures data indicative of the vehicle's environment and that generates a vehicle environment data feed. A video game console is electronically coupled to the vehicle environment sensor apparatus and has an application program interface. The video game console receives the vehicle environment data feed, operates a game medium, and generates a video output signal based on both the game medium and the vehicle environment data feed. At least one controller is communicatively coupled to the video game console and directs the operation of the game medium. A display unit communicatively coupled with the application program interface receives the video output signal and displays images dependent upon the video output signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America division of Panasonic Corporation of North America
    Inventors: Jeremy Koempel, Seung Chan Lim, Michael McManus
  • Patent number: 7751945
    Abstract: In a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system, when moving image information is transmitted between vehicles, a delay time acquisition unit determines a delay time that occurs when the moving image information is transmitted from a first vehicle to a second vehicle, and an applicability determination unit determines whether the moving image information transmitted with such a delay time is applicable to an application program running on an in-vehicle apparatus installed in the second vehicle. This makes it possible to transmit only moving image information which is usable by the in-vehicle apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: Alpine Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Kijuro Obata
  • Patent number: 7751938
    Abstract: There is provided a control device for a robot arm which includes an operation procedure information acquisition means for acquiring information on the procedure of a domestic operation, a progress management means for managing information on the progress of the operation, and a control parameter setting means for setting a control parameter for the robot arm based on the operation procedure information and the progress information, whereby the control device controls an operation of the robot arm based on the control parameter from the control parameter setting means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Yuko Tsusaka, Yasunao Okazaki
  • Patent number: 7751946
    Abstract: In a remote control system, the remote control of a vehicle function is executed. The remote control system includes a control terminal and a cancellation device. The control terminal transmits a request for the remote control of the vehicle function to a vehicle. The cancellation device cancels the remote control of the vehicle function if the local control of the vehicle function is requested before the remote control of the vehicle function is executed according to the request for the remote control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naoki Taki, Atsushi Niwa
  • Patent number: 7747372
    Abstract: Systems and methods for user control of vehicular transmission shift points. In one embodiment, a user may control a transmission shift point by adjusting a selector having non-discrete selectable positions. Such selector may generate a signal indicative of its position to a transmission controller. The transmission controller may receive the signal from the selector and determine at least one transmission shift point based upon the selector position. The transmission controller may thereby control the transmission to effectuate a gear change when the shift point is achieved. In some embodiments, the selector may comprise a rotary potentiometer, a rotary encoder, an inline potentiometer, an inline encoder or the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2010
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventor: Kenneth Michael Mathis
  • Patent number: 7747351
    Abstract: A control device for a robot arm is designed such that, based on information on a transportation state database in which information on a transportation state of a person operating the arm is recorded, an impedance setting unit sets a mechanical impedance set value of the arm, and an impedance control unit controls a mechanical impedance value of the arm to the mechanical impedance set value thus set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Yuko Tsusaka, Yasunao Okazaki
  • Patent number: 7742861
    Abstract: A system of wireless electronic devices for construction equipment and a maintenance system thereof are disclosed, in which various information used in an input and output unit, like modules of a construction work vehicle such as a hydraulic excavator, etc., are transmitted and received based on a wireless method, so that the use of wires can be significantly decreased. The wireless electronic system of a construction machine comprises at least one control panel which transmits a wireless signal for controlling each part of a construction machine in accordance with an operator's control; a main control device which receives a wireless signal from the control panel and transmits a wireless control signal for controlling a corresponding device; at least one auxiliary control device which performs input and output control, operation control, error detection, automatic control, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: Volvo Construction Equipment Holding Sweden AB
    Inventor: Chang Soo Lee
  • Patent number: 7739043
    Abstract: System for displaying on a first moving object a position indication dependent on a position of a second moving object. The system (1) comprises measurement means (2) for carrying out position measurements relating to at least one position dependent on the second moving object, processing means (3) mounted on the first moving object, and connected to the measurement means (2), and intended for the processing of said position measurements so as to produce a characteristic position, a display device (4) mounted on the first moving object, connected to the processing means (3), and presenting on a viewing screen (6), on a display illustrating at least partially the environment of the first moving object, a position indication which is situated at said characteristic position, and triggering means (7) for triggering the implementation of measurements by said measurement means (2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: Airbus France
    Inventors: Guillaume Fouet, Didier Menras, Nicolas Pellatiero, Falk Winkler
  • Patent number: 7738996
    Abstract: A method for joining together at least two sheets with a tool controlled by an industrial robot and including a first arm and a second arm that are mutually movable in relation to each other. An actual position of the sheets is detected by bringing one of the arms to sense the actual position of the sheets. The distance between an ideal position and the actual position is calculated and the actual position of the tool is moved the calculated distance, whereafter the sheets are joined together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: ABB AB
    Inventor: Colin Luthardt
  • Patent number: 7739006
    Abstract: There is provided an autonomous navigation system for use in conjunction with a ride vehicle. The autonomous navigation system includes an on-board sensor system for generating on-board sensor data of a surrounding of the ride vehicle. According to this embodiment, the autonomous navigation system further includes a receiver module for receiving off-board sensor data of the surrounding of the ride vehicle. For example, the off-board sensor data can be generated from an off-board sensor system, which includes a plurality of off-board sensors. The autonomous navigation system includes a sensor data fusion module for performing a data fusion process on the on-board sensor data and the off-board sensor data to generate fused sensor data. The autonomous navigation system further includes a navigation module for determining a course of the ride vehicle based on the fused sensor data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventor: Jeremy Gillula
  • Patent number: 7720589
    Abstract: A vehicle control device using brake hydraulic pressure includes a hydraulic unit having a housing and an electronic control unit having a casing. The housing of the hydraulic unit is mounted on a mounting surface of the casing of the electronic control unit so that the casing of the electronic control unit protrudes from the housing of the hydraulic unit to one side. On the protruding area of the casing, a bulge is formed in which a vehicle behavioral sensor is mounted. A control connector is also provided on the protruding area of the casing. The bulge does not protrude from the substantially square contour of the vehicle control device. Thus, the bulge will scarcely increase the installation space of the vehicle control device. A vehicle behavioral sensor is mounted on a small substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: Advics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hitoshi Hashiba
  • Patent number: 7720598
    Abstract: A mobile transmitter transmits a transmission signal from a vehicle to beacons. An estimator determines elapsed times for corresponding propagation paths between the vehicle and the beacons. Each propagation path includes at least one of a first propagation duration of a transmission signal and a second propagation duration of a return signal. A compensator compensates for noise or measurement error associated with a corresponding propagation path by invoking a linear fit scheme. The linear fit scheme applies a generally linear fit over fixed intervals of noisy measurements such that the noisy position measurements generally conform to a linear portion of a path plan of a vehicle. A data processor estimates a position of a vehicle at a confluence or intersection of the position curves or temporal curves based on elapsed times for the propagation paths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Mark Alvin Schmidt, Kenneth Edward Hunt, David Roy Holm, Scott Adam Stephens
  • Patent number: 7715956
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for swapping functionality of a lead unit and an end-of-train remote unit on a distributed power railroad train. The communications system comprises a swap function that executes through a plurality of process steps to swap the functionality of the lead unit and the end-of-train remote unit. The train operating conditions must first be determined to ensure that the swap function can be executed. The communications system is placed in an idle mode and brakes and safety locks applied to ensure against train movement. Each remote locomotive in the train is commanded to a transition stage and reconfigured to receive commands and messages from the new lead unit. Once the train operator has relocated from the old lead unit to the new lead unit, the old lead unit transitions to remote status and the new lead unit commands an end to the transition period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2010
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Robert F. Bryant
  • Patent number: 7706976
    Abstract: A method of determining speed and heading of a rover/rover having one degree of freedom comprising the following steps: (A) determining a rover position coordinates using at least one source of a radio position measurements; (B) storing a set of statistically different rover points in a memory block, and (C) using a subset of rover points including a plurality of stored rover points and a current rover point to determine a speed and a heading of the rover. It is assumed that each rover point comprises a time Epoch and a rover position determined at time Epoch, and that each pair of statistically different rover points comprises two rover positions separated by a statistically significant distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2010
    Assignee: Trimble Navigation, Ltd.
    Inventor: John William Peake
  • Patent number: 7706975
    Abstract: A mobile station database of cellular identifications and associated position information is stored in mobile station memory. The mobile station uses the position information in the database to assist in determining a current position for the mobile based on an identifier, such as cell ID, base station BSIC, PSC, or carrier frequency. A satellite vehicle signal is searched in an uncertainty region that is a function of position information associated with the current identifier. The uncertainty region can be limited by assumed platform dynamics via predefined velocity and acceleration information. Time maintenance for the mobile station can also be achieved through known approximate position from the position database and measurement of a single satellite vehicle propagation delay. The mobile station can compare a position determination obtained through satellite vehicle signals with position database information to determine the validity of that position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2010
    Assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated
    Inventors: Dominic Gerard Farmer, Suzanne Arcens
  • Patent number: 7702456
    Abstract: A method for presenting a route includes receiving a starting point and a destination point and computing a route that includes a route segment between the two points. The method further includes determining, based on a user's travel history, whether the route segment is an unfamiliar segment, and identifying, based on the user's travel history, a road that is familiar to the user and that is within a scaled range of the unfamiliar segment. The computed route and the familiar road are then presented in a format that distinguishes the familiar road from the computed route, and the familiar road is represented relative to the unfamiliar segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Scenera Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Mona Singh
  • Patent number: 7698040
    Abstract: One embodiment of this invention discloses a system for activating a vehicle's emergency flashers upon harsh braking or if the vehicle otherwise undergoes severe deceleration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Inventor: Ronald Long
  • Patent number: 7698037
    Abstract: A seatbelt device for a vehicle includes a belt reel for winding a belt for restraining a target object, a motor for driving the rotation of the reel, and a control unit. The control unit determines whether the target object to be restrained is a child seat or a vehicle occupant on the basis of a winding position of the belt while no electricity is being supplied to the motor and the winding position of the belt when electricity is being supplied to the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shotaro Odate
  • Patent number: 7698020
    Abstract: Displacements of respective joints corresponding to respective joint elements (J9 and the like) of a rigid link model (S1) representing a two-legged walking mobile body (1) are sequentially grasped. Also at the same time, values, in a body coordinate system (BC), of an acceleration vector of the origin of the body coordinate system (BC) fixed to a waist (6) as a rigid element, a floor reaction force vector acting on each leg (2), and a position vector of the point of application of the floor reaction force vector are sequentially grasped. With the use of the grasped values, joint moments respectively generated in an ankle joint (13), a knee joint (14), and a hip joint (9) of each leg (2) are sequentially estimated based on an inverse dynamics model using the body coordinate system. The estimation accuracy of the joint moments of the leg can be enhanced by reducing arithmetic processing using tilt information of the two-legged walking mobile body relative to the gravity direction as much as possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masakazu Kawai, Yasushi Ikeuchi
  • Patent number: 7693628
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for synchronous communication in a control system is disclosed. Within a first time interval, a first source task is executed to broadcast a first destination task, within a second sequential time interval, the first destination task is communicated over a channel to a first destination, and within a third sequential time interval, the first destination task is consumed. Within the first time interval, a second source task may be executed to broadcast a second destination task, within the second sequential time interval, the second destination task may be communicated over the channel to a second destination, and within the third sequential time interval, the second destination task may be consumed. The first source task is allowed to be scheduled ahead of the second source task, and the second source task is allowed to be scheduled ahead of the first source task.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas E. Fuhrman, Miroslawa A. Supal, Arnold W. Millsap