Patents Examined by Marthe Marc-Coleman
  • Patent number: 9751645
    Abstract: Provided is an apparatus for controlling an orbiting satellite by sensing a change in a yaw angle of the orbiting satellite and calculating a ground sample distance (GSD) based on the yaw angle. The apparatus may include a sensor configured to sense a yaw angle corresponding to yaw steering of the orbiting satellite, and a processor configured to calculate, based on the yaw angle, a GSD corresponding to a length of a pixel projected onto a planetary surface scanned by the orbiting satellite.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: KOREA AEROSPACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Moon Jin Jeon, Sang Rok Lee, Hui Kyung Kim, Eung Hyun Kim, Seong Bin Lim, Seok Weon Choi
  • Patent number: 9751543
    Abstract: A satellite positioning location based control and monitoring system for light rail transit systems which enables transit personnel to track vehicle positions, progress and non-vital signals as light rail vehicles travel through their routes while eliminating the capital and maintenance costs associated with embedded light rail transit monitoring systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: STC, Inc.
    Inventor: Brad Cross
  • Patent number: 9752303
    Abstract: A system and method for providing guidance to a user of a construction machine include computing kinematic behavior of a construction machine based on data received from the construction machine while performing a task. The kinematic behavior is compared with a model for operating the construction machine for performing the task. Feedback data is sent to the construction machine based on the comparing to provide guidance to the user of the construction machine for performing the task.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Richard Jackson
  • Patent number: 9744879
    Abstract: An apparatus for an electrically powered terrestrial vehicle applies electrical energy to front wheels and to rear wheels. A control system receives desired acceleration inputs and provides target torque requirements to a plurality of adaptive field-oriented motor control circuits. One or more three-phase alternating current synchronous motors receive voltage magnitude and voltage frequency to generate torque, which is applied through a reduction gear. One motor only may be powered during certain modes of operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: R Motor Company
    Inventor: Dean Drako
  • Patent number: 9733096
    Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure provide systems and methods for providing suggested locations for pick up and destination locations. Pick up locations may include locations where an autonomous vehicle can pick up a passenger, while destination locations may include locations where the vehicle can wait for an additional passenger, stop and wait for a passenger to perform some task and return to the vehicle, or for the vehicle to drop off a passenger. As such, a request for a vehicle may be received from a client computing device. The request may identify a first location. A set of one or more suggested locations may be selected by comparing the predetermined locations to the first location. The set may be provided to the client computing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventors: Peter Colijn, Joshua Seth Herbach, Matthew Paul McNaughton
  • Patent number: 9731837
    Abstract: Systems and methods of warning a pilot of a helicopter about a servo transparency condition include devices and steps for retrieving, from a design performance database, a plurality of design performance parameters of the helicopter, and receiving avionics data from an avionics data source, the avionics data representative of a plurality of actual performance parameters of the helicopter. The design performance parameters and the avionics data are processed to determine whether one or more of the actual performance parameters exceed the design performance parameters, thereby indicating a servo transparency condition exists. One or more alerts are generated when the servo transparency condition exists.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventor: Rohini Sabnis
  • Patent number: 9725085
    Abstract: An engine has a variable valve actuation device for controlling an actuation characteristic of an intake valve that is an amount of lifting the intake valve and/or a working angle on the intake valve. When the intake valve, having the actuation characteristic (or lifted in an amount and/or worked by a working angle), as controlled by the variable valve actuation device, has the actuation characteristic fixed (YES in S120), a range applied to set therewithin an output that the engine is required to provide is limited to be narrower and a power storage device's controlled target SOC is raised to be higher (S150, S160, S170) than when said actuation characteristic is not fixed (NO in S120).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ryuta Teraya, Toshikazu Kato, Yoshikazu Asami
  • Patent number: 9714033
    Abstract: A vehicle collision avoidance system that utilizes signal emitters and receivers positioned around the periphery of vehicles to detect nearby vehicles. Upon detection of a nearby vehicle, the system may execute any of a variety of predefined responses based on the distance from the local vehicle to the detected nearby vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: AI Incorporated
    Inventor: Ali Ebrahimi Afrouzi
  • Patent number: 9714835
    Abstract: Provided is a system or the like capable of allowing a navigation-client to efficiently use a route search result by a navigation server, while accepting the existence of difference between map data used by each of the navigation server and the navigation-client. By having a common description such as coordinate values, it is able to make the navigation-client 200 efficiently use the route search result by the navigation server 100, while accepting the existence of difference of map data used by each of the navigation server 100 and the navigation-client 200.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2017
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tadafumi Nogawa, Kentaro Ishii, Masahiro Washizu
  • Patent number: 9709404
    Abstract: A vision-aided inertial navigation system (VINS) is described in which a filter-based sliding-window estimator implements an Iterative Kalman Smoother (IKS) to track the 3D motion of a VINS system, such as a mobile device, in real-time using visual and inertial measurements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: Regents of the University of Minnesota
    Inventors: Stergios I. Roumeliotis, Dimitrios G. Kottas
  • Patent number: 9706708
    Abstract: A method for conditioning at least one control signal transmitted by a controller is disclosed. The method involves intercepting the control signal and producing at least one output signal for receipt by the positioning system instead of the control signal in response to the control signal. The output signal represents a plurality of active times during which the positioning system is instructed to move the agricultural implement towards the at least one desired position and a plurality of inactive times during which the positioning system is instructed not to move, each active time being followed by a respective one of the plurality of inactive times. Each of the plurality of inactive times is sufficiently long to permit the agricultural implement to settle into a fixed position due to a positioning response time of the positioning system. Other methods, apparatuses, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: HONEY BEE MANUFACTURING LTD.
    Inventors: Scott Douglas Smith, Glenn Raymond Honey
  • Patent number: 9701175
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle includes an exhaust turbine disposed in an exhaust path coupled to an electric machine and a compressor for an air-conditioning system. The vehicle includes a controller that controls the electric machine based on a difference between the power demand of the compressor and the power generated by the exhaust turbine. The electric machine may operate as a motor or a generator based on the difference. The vehicle may include a first clutch coupled to the electric machine and the compressor. The vehicle may include a second clutch coupled between the exhaust turbine and the electric machine. The controller may control the clutches based on the power demand and the power generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Kenneth James Miller, Thomas G. Leone
  • Patent number: 9696100
    Abstract: Methods and systems are described for heating a powertrain prior to an engine start. One method includes heating a coolant by circulating the coolant through a radiator and operating an electric radiator fan, and flowing the coolant across the powertrain. The coolant is heated and circulated across the powertrain when a temperature of the powertrain is lower than ambient temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: David Karl Bidner, Amey Y. Karnik, Jeffrey Allen Doering
  • Patent number: 9694686
    Abstract: An apparatus for monitoring and controlling electrical systems in a motor vehicle with electric or hybrid drive has a first and a second AC voltage source for an alternating voltage between a first or second terminal and a reference terminal. First and second voltmeters detect a first or second voltage between the first or second terminal and the reference terminal. A control unit controls the AC voltage sources, receives the voltages from the voltmeters and determines insulation resistance for subassemblies that are connected to the terminals. The insulation resistance is relative to a potential connected to the reference terminal. A precharge state of a capacitative load connected to the first terminal is determined. The load is precharged by a voltage supply unit connected to the second terminal. The switching state of at least one switch between two subassemblies is determined. The subassemblies are connected to the first or second terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH
    Inventors: Simon Abraham, Friedrich Ramme, Frank Nguyen-Luong
  • Patent number: 9696428
    Abstract: A method of measuring position information of an electronic device is provided. The method includes measuring position information including at least one of a position, a direction of movement, or a distance of movement of the electronic device by using a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) module, measuring at least one of the direction of movement, the distance of movement, or a change of speed of the electronic device by using at least one of a geomagnetic sensor or an accelerometer, calculating the position information based on the information measured by using the GNSS module, and the at least one of the direction of movement, the distance of movement, or the change of speed of the electronic device measured by using the at least one of the geomagnetic sensor or the accelerometer, and adjusting a position information measurement cycle using the GNSS module based on an error of the position information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yunwoo Lee
  • Patent number: 9690293
    Abstract: A system for navigating an autonomous vehicle along a road segment is disclosed. The system may have at least one processor. The processor may be programmed to receive from an image capture device, images representative of an environment of the autonomous vehicle. The processor may also be programmed to determine a travelled trajectory along the road segment based on analysis of the images. Further, the processor may be programmed to determine a current location of the autonomous vehicle along a predetermined road model trajectory based on analysis of one or more of the plurality of images. The processor may also be programmed to determine a heading direction based on the determined traveled trajectory. In addition, the processor may be programmed to determine a steering direction, relative to the heading direction, by comparing the traveled trajectory to the predetermined road model trajectory at the current location of the autonomous vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: Mobileye Vision Technologies Ltd.
    Inventors: Amnon Shashua, Aran Reisman, Daniel Braunstein, Yoav Taieb, Igor Tubis
  • Patent number: 9682696
    Abstract: In the process of cranking and starting an engine by a motor, until a predetermined condition is satisfied, i.e., until a rotation speed Ne of the engine is equal to or higher than a predetermined rotation speed Nstmg and a crank angle ?cr of the engine is in a predetermined range of ?st1 to ?st2, the motor is controlled to increase the torque of the motor from value 0 to a positive specified torque Tst1 and keep the torque of the motor at the specified torque Tst1 by a rate process using a rate value ?Tst1. When the predetermined condition is satisfied, a rate value ?Tst2 is set to increase with an increase in satisfaction time rotation speed Neset that denotes the rotation speed Ne of the engine on satisfaction of the predetermined condition. The motor is then controlled to decrease the torque of the motor from the specified torque Tst1 by a rate process using a rate value ?Tst2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yasutaka Tsuchida
  • Patent number: 9671236
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatuses are described for updating navigational map data. A routing request is received from a user or device. From the routing request, a first map tile and a second map tile are identified. A new version of the first map tile is identified, and a compatibility matrix for at least the first map tile is accessed. An analysis of the compatibility matrix is performed to determine whether objects of the new version of the first map tile are compatible with the second map tile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: HERE Global B.V.
    Inventor: Martin Pfeifle
  • Patent number: 9669824
    Abstract: Systems and methods for operating a driveline of a hybrid powertrain that includes a motor/generator and driveline disconnect clutch are described. The systems and methods may adjust a torque capacity of the driveline disconnect clutch during engine starting. Torque output from the motor/generator may also be adjusted during engine starting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Scott James Thompson, Bernard D. Nefcy, Todd Mccullough
  • Patent number: 9669820
    Abstract: A method of prioritizing power output of first and second power-sources in a vehicle includes identifying, via a controller communicating with a satellite, the vehicle's position on a specific road course. The method also includes receiving a request for total amount of power from both power-sources and determining first power-source power and available second power-source target maximum power based on the vehicle position. The method also includes determining, based on the vehicle position, a minimum energy reserve of a source configured to energize the second power-source and available second power-source power based on the determined reserve. The method also includes subtracting the first power-source power from the requested total amount of power to determine a requested second power-source power. Furthermore, the method includes comparing the available and the requested second power-source power and generating the smaller power value to minimize the time for the vehicle to traverse the road course.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Brendan M. Conlon, Shawn H. Swales, Michael C. Muir, Aniket P. Kothari, Michael V. Woon