Patents Examined by Lail A Kleinman
  • Patent number: 10391960
    Abstract: An electronic module assembly for controlling the deployment of one or more airbags in an aircraft includes a power source, a crash sensor configured to produce a signal in response to a crash event and an accelerometer that is configured to produce a signal in response to a crash event. A processor starts a timer upon detection of the signal from the crash sensor. When the processor receives a signal from the crash sensor, the processor is configured to determine if a signal has also been received from the accelerometer and if signals from both the crash sensor and the accelerometer indicate a crash event then the processor reads a memory associated with an inflator. The processor reads a timing value selected for the inflator and fires the inflator when the timer has a value equal to the timing value selected for the inflator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: AmSafe, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Anthony Settles, Scott Fink, Giuseppe Gullotto
  • Patent number: 10392002
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for controlling an engine idle-stop based on upcoming traffic and road conditions. In one example, a method may include receiving data including traffic information and road characteristics immediately ahead of a vehicle from one or more remote sources, and adjusting one or more vehicle thresholds based on the received data. A duration of a prospective engine idle-stop may be estimated based on the received data and an engine idle-stop may be initiated based on the duration of the prospective engine idle-stop and the adjusted one or more vehicle threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas G. Leone, Alexander O'Connor Gibson, Kenneth James Miller
  • Patent number: 10388089
    Abstract: Systems and apparatuses for identifying a type of issue associated with a stopped vehicle are provided. The system may determine a current location of the vehicle and determine whether the vehicle is currently located on a highway. In some examples, the determined location of the vehicle may cause the system to transmit instructions controlling an amount or type of data collected by sensors and/or transmitted to the system. If the vehicle is on a highway, the system may then determine whether the vehicle is stopped. If so, the system may determine a reason for the vehicle stopping. Upon determining that the vehicle is stopped for an urgent reason, the system may transmit a request for roadside assistance to a service provider computing device and may generate a first type of notification. Upon determining that the vehicle is stopped for a non-urgent situation reason, the system may generate and transmit a second type of notification for display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company
    Inventors: Dogan Civgin, Matthew James Manzella
  • Patent number: 10379008
    Abstract: A railway vehicle condition monitoring apparatus includes a detection device for detecting vehicle information represented by a wheel load or the like of a wheel included in a railway vehicle running on a railroad track, and a determination device including a classifier to which the vehicle information detected by the detection device is input and which outputs a vehicle condition such as the presence or absence of an abnormality of the railway vehicle. The classifier is generated by means of machine learning that uses training data of a railway vehicle of which the vehicle condition is known, the training data being the vehicle information and the vehicle condition which is known, the machine learning being performed so that when the vehicle information of the training data is input to the classifier, the classifier outputs the vehicle condition of the training data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignees: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION, THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO
    Inventors: Masaaki Mizuno, Masuhisa Tanimoto, Kensuke Nagasawa, Yoshihiro Suda, Shihpin Lin, Kensuke Kimoto
  • Patent number: 10377261
    Abstract: A device/method for the control of a charge operation and the State Of Charge (SOC) of an electrical Energy Storage System (ESS), e.g. a battery, that includes a multitude of cells is provided. The ESS is electrically connected to a propulsion system of a vehicle in order to power an Electric Motor. The method includes charging the ESS from an electrical power source, e.g., the grid, when the vehicle is at standstill, stopping the charging when the SOC level of the ESS is above a maintenance limit for the SOC level of the ESS, monitoring the battery and/or performing a service operation of the ESS after the ESS has been charged to a SOC level above the maintenance limit for the SOC level of the ESS, deliberately discharging the ESS to lower the SOC level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: Volvo Truck Corporation
    Inventor: Tobias Smidebrant
  • Patent number: 10345443
    Abstract: A radar device for detecting a distance between vehicles by the transmission and reception of survey waves is mounted in a vehicle as an object detection means for detecting an object. A cruise control apparatus includes a trajectory calculation means for calculating a moving locus of a preceding vehicle traveling in front of an own vehicle on the basis of the detection result of the radar device, a route prediction means for calculating a predicted route of the vehicle on the basis of the moving locus of the preceding vehicle calculated by the trajectory calculation means, an axial deviation detection means for detecting the axial deviation of the radar device, and an invalidation processing means for invalidating the predicted route calculated by the route prediction means when it is detected that the axial deviation detection means has detected axial deviation of the radar device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Youhei Masui, Takeshi Nanami, Takashi Nishida
  • Patent number: 10329725
    Abstract: A snow groomer having a frame; an attachment connected movably to the frame; a hydraulic assembly having an actuator configured to position the attachment, and a valve configured to control the actuator; a variable-flow pump configured to supply the hydraulic assembly; and a control system configured to calculate the total flow rate demand of the hydraulic assembly, and configured to control the variable-flow pump as a function of the total flow rate demand, so delivery by the variable-flow pump equals the total flow rate demand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: PRINOTH S.P.A.
    Inventor: Klaus Wagger
  • Patent number: 10320909
    Abstract: An apparatus for controlling appliances aboard a vehicle, including a first data processing device having a network interface that can have a vehicle network for bidirectional data transmission between the first data processing device and connected network appliances. Also provided are an input/output device, a graphics processor device connected to the screen thereof and to the first data processing device, a user interface module provided in the first data processing device and that implements a graphical user interface having pages, and at least one separate second data processing device connected to the first data processing device via a separate bidirectional data link and having a network interface for connection to a vehicle network. Via each bidirectional data link it is exclusively possible to transmit predefined data records having data of predefined data types for display on pages from the second data processing device to the first data processing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH
    Inventor: Christian Riedel
  • Patent number: 10315520
    Abstract: An in-vehicle gateway system for monitoring and controlling a plurality of in-vehicle subsystems is disclosed. The in-vehicle gateway system includes a central controller and the central controller is configured to enable one of the in-vehicle subsystems to use a resource of another in-vehicle subsystem. The central controller is also configured to enable one in-vehicle subsystem to use data from yet another in-vehicle subsystem. The one in-vehicle subsystem may be a newly added in-vehicle subsystem. The in-vehicle gateway system also includes a switch fabric that is configured to interconnect the central controller to the plurality of the in-vehicle subsystems and transmit at least a unified control command to at least one of the in-vehicle subsystems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: SOUTHWEST UNIVERSITY
    Inventor: Kuang-I Shu
  • Patent number: 10319239
    Abstract: Systems and methods for context based controller pilot data link communication (CPDLC) are provided. In certain implementations, a method for CPDLC includes receiving data through the selection of a selectable item on a pilot interface, wherein the pilot interface is a non-CPDLC interface and communicating the data to a CPDLC application. Further, the method also includes constructing a CPDLC message based on the data; and transmitting the CPDLC message to an air traffic controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Rakesh Kumar, Maria John Paul Dominic, Vivek Kumar Pandey, Siva Kommuri, Darshan Gandhi
  • Patent number: 10314533
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for recommending a route are provided. The route recommending method includes obtaining user's current body information; obtaining geographic information from a current position to a destination; and determining a recommended route to the destination on the basis of the body information and the geographic information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Jae-young Lee, Cory Kim, Sung-hyun Cho
  • Patent number: 10304340
    Abstract: A control device includes a brake apparatus configured to operate a braking function of a vehicle and at least one rear lamp configured to output visible light to a rear of the vehicle at least in response to an operation of the brake apparatus. The control device also includes a sensing unit configured to sense information related to at least one of the vehicle or a surrounding of the vehicle, and at least one processor. The at least one processor is configured to, based on the information sensed through the sensing unit corresponding to a preset condition and a first vehicle being sensed at the rear of the vehicle, control the at least one rear lamp to output the visible light to the rear of the vehicle in a state in which the brake apparatus is not operated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Wonseok Yoo
  • Patent number: 10293805
    Abstract: A system includes an engine, a generator assembly, a direct current voltage bus, and a controller. The assembly is coupled to and driven via the engine, and has an electric generator, field windings, and a voltage rectifier collectively producing a generator output voltage. An inner control loop of the controller provides a field duty cycle signal to the field windings in response to an adjusted voltage control signal. An outer control loop of the controller provides a torque-based voltage control signal as an input to the inner control loop in response to a commanded engine torque and an estimated generator torque. An output torque of the generator is directly controlled via the outer control loop. The inner control loop calculates the adjusted voltage control signal as a difference between the torque-based voltage control signal and the output voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC.
    Inventors: Chandra S. Namuduri, Suresh Gopalakrishnan
  • Patent number: 10295998
    Abstract: An agricultural work vehicle capable of communicating with a host computer and capable of being steered by a remote control device so as to enable the agricultural work vehicle to link with the host computer and perform in an optimum work form, wherein the agricultural work vehicle is provided with a position calculation means measuring the position of the machine body, a steering actuator operating a steering device, a shifting means, and a control device controlling them. An optimum working speed and an optimum work driving value calculated from past and current weather information, field information, work information, work machine information, and crop information are transmitted from the host computer to the control device. The agricultural work vehicle is controlled and caused to work at the optimum working speed and the optimum work driving value along a set travel path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: YANMAR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kazuhisa Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 10288436
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for recommending a route. The route recommending method includes obtaining user's current body information; obtaining geographic information from a current position to a destination; and determining a recommended route to the destination on the basis of the body information and the geographic information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Cory Kim, Jae-young Lee, Sung-hyun Cho
  • Patent number: 10279793
    Abstract: Systems and methods for analyzing a driver's brake behavior are provided. In some aspects, the system includes a memory that stores instructions for executing processes for analyzing the driver's brake behavior, and a processor configured to execute the instructions. In aspects, the processes include: receiving data from one or more multi-modal sensors, determining whether each braking event of a plurality of braking events is a hard braking event; analyzing the one or more physiological signals of the driver to determine whether each of the hard braking events is a reactive hard braking event or an intended hard braking event; applying a Lasso regression analysis and a classification framework for each of the hard braking events to identify features that indicate whether a respective hard braking event is a reactive hard braking event or an intended hard braking event; and generating a signal notifying a vehicle of the features.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Nanxiang Li, Teruhisa Misu, Fei Tao
  • Patent number: 10268189
    Abstract: The present application provides a signal guided cleaning device and a signal guided cleaning system thereof. The signal guided cleaning system includes a signal emitter and a signal guided cleaning device. The signal emitter is used to emit at least one first emission signal. And the signal guided cleaning device includes a body, at least one mobile element, at least one driver, and a controlling unit. Each first signal receiver received the first emission signal in receiving range and provides a first reception instruction. Each mobile element connects with the corresponding driver. Controlling unit connects with the first signal receivers and drivers, provides a corresponding first controlling instruction according to the received first reception instruction, and drives the corresponding drivers so as to make the mobile elements drive the body forward an emitting direction of the first emission signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Inventor: Jason Yan
  • Patent number: 10259469
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus to selectively disable functions in electronic control units are disclosed. An example method includes executing, via a processor of an electronic control unit in a vehicle, a first software function and a second software function. The method further includes preventing the execution of the first software function while continuing to execute the second software function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: James Andrew Miloser, Steve Michael Cunningham, Chris Acosta
  • Patent number: 10260884
    Abstract: Apparatus and method for using map data of a known route to calibrate an accelerometer to one or more physiological parameters of a user. In one embodiment, the calibration comprises determining a current position of a user; consulting map data to identify a route having a starting and/or ending position within a predefined proximity to the current position, the route having a known length; collecting data with the accelerometer as the user traverses the route; calculating a calibration factor based on one or more physiological qualities specific to the user; and causing the calibration factor to be stored and applied to subsequently collected data from the accelerometer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: Under Armour, Inc.
    Inventor: Kyler Eastman
  • Patent number: 10246038
    Abstract: The present invention addresses the problem of attaining an object recognition device that can change control of a vehicle in accordance with the reliability of detection of a target object. The object recognition device according to the present invention recognizes a target object around a vehicle and includes: a distance-information-based target object determination unit 106 that determines whether or not an object 303 is a target object by using distance information from the vehicle 301 to the object 303; an image-information-based target object determination unit 107 that determines whether or not the object 303 is a target object by using image information obtained by capturing an image of the object 303 from the vehicle 301; and a target object detection reliability calculation unit 108 that calculates the reliability of detection of a target object by using the distance information and the image information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Takeshi Shima, Takuma Osato, Masayuki Takemura, Yuuji Otsuka