Patents Examined by Marthe Marc-Coleman
  • Patent number: 9600357
    Abstract: Disclosed is an error detection method of fail safe software, the method including outputting a pulse signal according to an operation state of fail safe software monitoring a fail safe function of a motor control device; determining presence or absence of an error of the fail safe software using a frequency of the pulse signal; and controlling an output of the motor control device based on the presence or absence of the error of the fail safe software. Accordingly, even though whether the motor control device is in an abnormal state is not determined due to an error of the fail safe software, it is possible to prevent excessive motor torque from occurring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: HYUNDAI MOBIS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tae Wan Lim
  • Patent number: 9597979
    Abstract: A method of controlling a powertrain of a hybrid vehicle includes comparing an operating efficiency of a motor-generator-inverter to an upper MGI efficiency threshold when a boost operating mode is selected. When the operating efficiency of the motor-generator-inverter is equal to or greater than the upper MGI efficiency threshold, the motor-generator-inverter is controlled to operate in the boost operating mode. The operating efficiency of the motor-generator-inverter is compared to a lower MGI efficiency threshold when a regenerative operating mode is selected. When the operating efficiency of the motor-generator-inverter is equal to or greater than the lower MGI efficiency threshold, the motor-generator-inverter is controlled to operate in the regenerative operating mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Lei Hao, Venkata Prasad Atluri, Suresh Gopalakrishnan, Chandra S. Namuduri, Avoki M. Omekanda
  • Patent number: 9592745
    Abstract: An alternating-hibernation battery management and control method for a power structure of a large electric vehicle is provided. The power structure includes a vehicular computer with a sorting controller, plural configuration-variable series-type battery boxes in parallel connection and a driving device. Each configuration-variable series-type battery box includes plural battery modules in series connection. The method includes the following steps. Firstly, the vehicular computer calculates a required number of battery modules and a required number of configuration-variable series-type battery boxes. Then, the sorting controller calculates module scores of all battery modules, and generates a battery module sorting result. Then, the sorting controller enables the required number of battery modules according to the required number of battery modules and the battery module sorting result. Then, the sorting controller calculates a battery box score and generates a battery box sorting result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2017
    Assignee: ALEEES ECO ARK (CAYMAN) CO. LTD.
    Inventors: An-Tao Anthony Yang, Gordon Ching Chen
  • Patent number: 9586618
    Abstract: The present invention provides a vehicle control system comprising a projecting device, a camera device, a control device and an actuating device. The vehicle steering control system does not need a physical steering wheel, thus the weight and cost of the vehicles can be reduced. In addition, the steering control system according to the present invention provides the drivers with brand new driving experience.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: THUNDER POWER HONG KONG LTD.
    Inventor: Wellen Sham
  • Patent number: 9581452
    Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided. A hierarchical navigation database with multiple levels including tiles is defined. Link data records representative of a road segments are stored in the hierarchical navigation database. A lower level tile containing a starting point data record of a route is identified. A link data record crossing the lower level tile border is identified. Whether the identified link data record also crosses a tile border of a higher level tile is determined. If the identified link data record crosses a tile border of a higher level tile, whether the higher level tile includes a destination point record is determined. Unless the higher level tile is determined to include the destination point record, a next link data record is determined in the route from the higher level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: HERE Global B.V.
    Inventor: Martin Pfeifle
  • Patent number: 9573586
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle control device is provided with an engine, a motor, a mode switching mechanism and an engine start control unit. The motor is disposed in a drive system between the engine and a driving wheel for starting the engine and driving the driving wheel. The mode switching mechanism is operatively coupled to a connecting portion of the engine and the motor. The motor starts the engine upon an engine start request being outputted while traveling with only the motor as a drive source. The engine start control unit makes starting the engine more difficult, upon determining vehicle speed is increasing while a depression operation of an accelerator is occurring, until the rotational speed of the motor decreases, by performing an upshift operation that reduces a gear ratio by making a starting condition of the engine stricter as compared to a gear ratio prior to the upshift operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroki Matsui, Fumuhiro Yamanaka
  • Patent number: 9573646
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a bicycle frame defining a bore, and a bicycle seat assembly including a post received in the bore. An indicating unit is configured to indicate a first position of the post along the bore for a first user and a second position of the post along the bore for a second user. An identification unit is configured to identify the first user and the second user. A computing device includes a processor and a memory, the memory storing instruction such that the processor is programmed to instruct the indicating unit to indicate the first position when the identification unit identifies the first user and to instruct the indicating unit to indicate the second position when the identification unit identifies the second user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: James Lloyd, Jonathan Mundy, Bruce Southey, Simon Potticary, James Neugebauer, Torsten Gerhardt, Richard Craven
  • Patent number: 9573622
    Abstract: A rotational angle detecting device continues a portion of operation by electric power from a battery when an electric switch is off. The rotational angle detecting device includes a sensor, a first calculator, a second calculator and a communication portion. The sensor detects a detection value that is variable according to a rotation of a detection object. The first calculator starts calculating first rotational information associated with the rotation of the detection object based on the detection value when the electric switch is turned on. The first calculator stops calculating the first rotational information when the electric switch is turned off. The second calculator calculates second rotational information associated with the rotation of the detection object regardless of an on/off state of the electric switch, based on the detection value. The communication portion outputs the first rotational information and the second rotational information to a controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshihiro Fujita, Takaharu Kozawa, Takashi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 9574964
    Abstract: The disclosure includes a system, method and tangible memory for providing a vehicular barometric pressure reading. The system includes a plurality of electronic sensor devices configured to record first barometric pressure data describing a first barometric pressure associated with the vehicle. Each of the electronic sensor devices may record a separate barometric pressure reading associated with the vehicle. The system may further include an onboard vehicle computer that is communicatively coupled to the plurality of electronic sensor devices and programmed to (1) analyze the separate barometric pressure readings to determine, for each of the electronic sensor devices, a confidence factor indicating a confidence in the accuracy of the barometric pressure reading for each of the electronic sensor devices and (2) determine whether to provide a sensor service recommendation based on the confidence factor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Inventor: Roger Melen
  • Patent number: 9573624
    Abstract: Provided is a parking assist apparatus capable of appropriately guiding a self-vehicle into a parking space even when accuracy of estimation of a corner position of each object located at a position adjacent to the parking space is low. Parking-space information, which is estimated by detecting the corner position of each of the objects sandwiching the parking space while the parking space is being searched, is sequentially corrected by using a reflection-point position on each of objects, which is detected while the self-vehicle is being guided into the parking space. Guiding assistance processing to the parking space is performed by using the corrected parking-space information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Masanori Mori
  • Patent number: 9574896
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to techniques for managing navigation alerts. The disclosure generally describes an exemplary technique whereby a first device, such as a smartphone, coordinates the timing or sequence of alerts for a navigation instruction on the first device and on a second device, such as a smartwatch. In some examples, the second device presents an alert to a user indicating an event condition has been met before the first device presents a different alert to the user indicating that the same event condition has been met. The alert at the second device allows the user to anticipate the alert at the first device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Christine McGavran, Joshua Weinberg, Marcel Van Os, Hugo Verweij, Jefferey Meininger, Eric L. Grundstrom, Usama M. Hajj
  • Patent number: 9567007
    Abstract: Identifying cost-effective parking for an autonomous vehicle, including: identifying, by a vehicle parking module, a plurality of available parking spots for parking the autonomous vehicle; determining, by the vehicle parking module, a total cost associated with each of the plurality of available parking spots for parking the autonomous vehicle; and selecting, by the vehicle parking module, a target parking spot in dependence upon the total cost associated with each of the plurality of available parking spots for parking the autonomous vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gary D. Cudak, Christopher J. Hardee, Adrian X. Rodriguez
  • Patent number: 9568919
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to methods of determining a vessel-relative off-deck waypoint (VRODW) location comprising the steps of providing an aircraft in flight; determining vessel range and vessel bearing relative the aircraft; and determining the VRODW location using the range and bearing measurements of the vessel. The present invention is further directed to methods of landing an aircraft on a vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation
    Inventor: Edward Lim
  • Patent number: 9568331
    Abstract: A novel predictive travel planning system is disclosed for gathering a user intention, interactively interacting with the user to create a travel plan, supporting the user's execution of the trip on a real-time basis during travel, allowing the user to share his/her experiences with others and learning from the user's experiences. The system can use a variety of computing devices to gather information before and during travel, such as for example a desktop computer, a tablet computer, or a smart phone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Inventors: Radhika Narang, Rahul Agarwal
  • Patent number: 9557362
    Abstract: In one implementation, a method is provided for contactor monitoring and control in electric vehicle supply equipment, which includes updating an open error count and a close error count based on a detected condition of the contactor. The method also includes determining a detected state of the contactor by comparing the open error count and the close error count to maximum and minimum values. The method further includes performing at least one of controlling the state of the contactor based on the determined contactor state, or providing a visual indicator based on the determined contactor state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: AeroVironment, Inc.
    Inventor: Ming Bai
  • Patent number: 9557189
    Abstract: A method includes generating a first flight management computer (FMC) data request at a data capture component of a control display unit (CDU). The method includes sending the first FMC data request from the data capture component of the CDU to the FMC. The method also includes receiving, at the data capture component of the CDU, first FMC data from the FMC responsive to the first FMC data request. The method further includes sending the first FMC data from the CDU to a portable electronic device via a wireless interface of the CDU.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventor: Bradley D. Cornell
  • Patent number: 9555804
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of identifying the hand of traffic applicable to a subject vehicle (3). The subject vehicle (3) travels in a first direction and has a first side and a second side. The method comprises tracking at least a first object vehicle (V) on the first side of the subject vehicle (3), and/or detecting the presence or absence of at least a first stationary target (T) on the first side of the subject vehicle (3). A direction of travel of each first object vehicle (V) is determined in relation to the subject vehicle (3). The hand of traffic is identified based on the direction of travel of each first object vehicle (V), and/or the presence or absence of each first stationary target (T). The invention also relates to a method of implementing Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) using the hand of traffic information. The invention also relates to a control unit (1) for determining the hand of traffic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited
    Inventors: Ian Blake, James Smith
  • Patent number: 9550433
    Abstract: An alternating-hibernation battery management and control method for a power structure of a large electric vehicle is provided. The power structure includes a vehicular computer with a sorting controller, plural configuration-variable series-type battery boxes in parallel connection and a driving device. Each configuration-variable series-type battery box includes plural battery modules in series connection. The method includes the following steps. Firstly, the vehicular computer calculates a required number of battery modules and a required number of configuration-variable series-type battery boxes. Then, the sorting controller calculates module scores of all battery modules, and generates a battery module sorting result. Then, the sorting controller enables the required number of battery modules according to the required number of battery modules and the battery module sorting result. Then, the sorting controller calculates a battery box score and generates a battery box sorting result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: ALEEES ECO ARK (CAYMAN) CO. LTD.
    Inventors: An-Tao Anthony Yang, Gordon Ching Chen
  • Patent number: 9538699
    Abstract: The present subject matter relates to adjustable ground speed control devices, systems, and methods for walk-behind equipment. A variable speed control system may include a control system base, a control lever selectively movable with respect to the control system base between a first operating position and a second operating position, a mode actuator positioned on the control system base for toggling between a standard mode and a selection mode, and an adjustment actuator positioned on the control system base in communication with a control unit to toggle between a first control mode and a second control mode when the mode actuator is in selection mode. The control unit applies a first acceleration profile to accelerate from the minimum operating speed to the variable maximum operating speed when in the first control mode and a second acceleration profile when in the second control mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Andrew E. Bejcek, Vincent A. Prinzo
  • Patent number: 9540792
    Abstract: A shovel performing a work by being operated by a driver includes a lower running body, an upper turning body mounted on the lower running body and a control device that controls an operation of a hydraulic actuator in response to an operation applied to an operation lever. A cabin is provided in the upper turning body. An attaching part is provided in the cabin and is capable of attaching a multifunctional portable information terminal having a display and input function, a wireless communication function and a voice recognition function. The attaching part includes a connecting part connected to the multifunctional portable information terminal. The control device performs data communication with the multifunctional portable information terminal through the connecting part, and supplies electric power from an electric accumulation part of the shovel to the multifunctional portable information terminal through the connecting part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: SUMITOMO(S.H.I.) CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Tsukamoto