Patents Examined by Rodney Allen Butler
  • Patent number: 10076937
    Abstract: Apparatus and methods are disclosed for a vehicle tow capacity estimator. An example disclosed vehicle includes memory and a processor. The example memory stores first and second acceleration profiles and a degradation factor table. The example processor, when a load is connected to the vehicle, determines a third acceleration profile and calculates a tow capacity ratio based on the first, second, and third acceleration profile, and a degradation factor. Additionally, the example processor, in response to the tow capacity ratio not satisfying a tow threshold, provides a warning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Aed M Dudar, Mahmoud Yousef Ghannam
  • Patent number: 10078332
    Abstract: A ship handling device may be provided with which a ship moves and turns in a target orientation toward target coordinates without monitoring the behavior of the ship against disturbance or the characteristics of the ship. The ship handling device moves the ship toward the target coordinates and in the target orientation from a GPS device and a signal from an orientation sensor, wherein the target coordinates and the target orientation are calculated from operation of a joystick lever, and a thrust is generated by a propulsion device so as to move the ship to the target coordinates and the target orientation after a signal finalizing the target coordinates and the target orientation has been acquired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: YANMAR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Gakuji Tamura, Jun Watanabe, Hiroaki Wakahara, Naohiro Hara
  • Patent number: 10073457
    Abstract: A control system for an off-road vehicle configured to traverse an off-road vehicle through a field by determining whether a partial row exist or contour differences exist between opposite edges if a route of traversal is used. If a partial row or a contour difference exist adjust the route to increase overlap of rows of the off-road vehicle to distribute the width of the field evenly among the rows or incrementally adjust each row from a first contour of a first edge to a second contour of a second edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignees: CNH Industrial America LLC, Autonomous Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher A. Foster, Bret T. Turpin, Daniel John Morwood
  • Patent number: 10071743
    Abstract: A road curve guidance method is provided. The road curve guidance method includes: obtaining link information corresponding to a road on which a vehicle is being driven; determining a position of the vehicle on a link at a future time point based on the obtained link information; and judging a degree of risk of a curve section in which the vehicle is to be driven after a predetermined time using the determined position and speed of the vehicle at a reference time point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: THINKWARE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Suk Pil Ko
  • Patent number: 10059257
    Abstract: A system for identifying a location of an external vehicle feature on approach by a user of the vehicle is disclosed, comprising (1) a vehicle including a steering system, a drive system, a brake system, a processor, and memory; (2) a control module coupled to the processor and configured to receive a wireless communication from a mobile device indicative of a user's proximity to the vehicle; and (3) a brake module coupled to the control module and configured to illuminate a lighting device on receipt of the wireless communication to identify a location of the vehicle feature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Gerardo Brigido Delgado, Ricardo David Luna Olvera
  • Patent number: 10017178
    Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus of the invention is applied to a vehicle having at least one device configured to acquire a road situation information from an outside of the vehicle. The apparatus determines whether or not a particular situation regarding a vehicle traveling occurs on the basis of the road situation information. The particular situation being a situation that a driver of the vehicle should be alerted. The apparatus can perform an informing for alerting the driver and execute a cruise control for causing the vehicle to travel automatically without an operation of an acceleration operator of the vehicle. The apparatus performs the informing when the particular situation occurs, the cruise control is not executed and the acceleration operator is operated. The apparatus performs the informing when the particular situation occurs and the cruise control is executed, independently of whether or not the acceleration operator is operated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Morimoto, Katsuhiro Matsuoka
  • Patent number: 10005450
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle includes an internal combustion engine, a filter, an electrical storage device, a rotating electric machine, and a controller. The filter is configured to trap particulate matter in exhaust gas of the internal combustion engine. The rotating electric machine is configured to generate electric power using power from the internal combustion engine so as to charge the electrical storage device, and drive the internal combustion engine using electric power from the electrical storage device. The controller is configured to control the internal combustion engine and the rotating electric machine, so as to warm up the electrical storage device when regeneration control needs to be performed and when the temperature of the electrical storage device is lower than a reference value. The regeneration control is control for raising the temperature of the filter to a predetermined temperature so as to burn the particulate matter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hidekazu Nawata, Toshio Inoue, Keita Fukui, Tomoaki Honda, Yuta Niwa, Taichi Osawa