Patents Examined by Sean Patrick Reidy
  • Patent number: 11905898
    Abstract: A method of automated timing of engine startup for an aircraft is provided. The method comprises receiving data inputs regarding a number of factors influencing a time to departure for the aircraft and receiving data inputs regarding a number of factors influencing time to start and set takeoff power for a number of engines on the aircraft. An engine startup countdown is calculated based on a comparison of a nominal time to departure with a nominal minimum time to start and set takeoff power for the engines, wherein the nominal time to departure is based on the first data inputs and the nominal minimum time to start and set takeoff power is based on the second data inputs. Upon completion of the countdown an engine start signal is sent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Jeffrey S. Siegmeth, David William Foutch, Bruce Van Deventer
  • Patent number: 11873671
    Abstract: A method of controlling the movements of at least one controllable door of a motor vehicle and a motor vehicle component. A control device and a sensor arrangement are assigned to the door, and the door has a controllable motion influencing device. A motion of a door wing of the door can be controlled and influenced by way of the motion influencing device in between a closed position and an open position. The sensor arrangement includes a distance sensor in the movable door wing that captures distance data during the motion, and obtains from the distance data captured with the distance sensor in different angular positions, the position of at least one object in the surrounding area of the door wing, by way of triangulation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: INVENTUS Engineering GmbH
    Inventor: Stefan Battlogg
  • Patent number: 11807214
    Abstract: A travel control device is mounted on a vehicle including an electric motor and an internal combustion engine that are power sources and a storage battery that stores energy for driving the electric motor and regenerative energy recovered by regenerative braking of the electric motor. The travel control device includes an electronic control device configured to create a speed profile in which a speed of the vehicle is predicted, estimate a predicted amount of the regenerative energy to be recovered, based on the speed profile, and decide the power source to be used for traveling, based on the predicted amount of the regenerative energy and thermal information indicating a demand related to heat of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takaaki Tokura, Katsumi Kono, Takeshi Yasuda
  • Patent number: 11808006
    Abstract: A work vehicle includes a vehicle body, a work implement including an attachment, an operating device and a controller. The operating device can be operated to a dump side and a tilt side to cause the attachment to dump and tilt. The controller executes an automatic drive control in which the attachment is caused to dump as far as a predetermined dumping position when the operating device is operated by a first dump operation amount or greater to the dump side, or to tilt as far as a predetermined tilt position when the operating device is operated by a first tilt operation amount or greater to the tilt side. The controller disables the automatic drive control when a switching time period required for the operating device to be switched between the tilt and dump sides is at least a predetermined disabling time period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2023
    Assignee: KOMATSU LTD.
    Inventors: Takahisa Oasa, Kiyotaka Ninomiya
  • Patent number: 11760200
    Abstract: An electric powered vehicle may include a maximum speed limiting device. In the first mode, in a case where the distance is shorter than a first reference value, the maximum speed is limited to a value lower than the maximum speed applied when the distance is longer than the first reference value. In the second mode, in a case where the distance is shorter than a second reference value, the maximum speed is limited to a value lower than the maximum speed applied when the distance is longer than the second reference value. In a case where the distance changes from a value shorter than the first and second reference values to a value longer the first and second reference values, the maximum speed limiting device increases the maximum speed at an earlier timing in the second mode than in the first mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshiyuki Senba
  • Patent number: 11753111
    Abstract: A system includes a support arm. The system includes an engine supported by the support arm. The system includes an armature supported by the support arm. The system includes a coupling device disposed around the armature and slidable between a first position in which the coupling device couples the engine to the armature, and a second position in which the coupling device is uncoupled from the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Larry Dean Elie, Allan Roy Gale, David Allen Janson, Wayne Paul Woodside
  • Patent number: 11708781
    Abstract: A portable device receives power from a battery of a vehicle when connected to the vehicle via a connector in the vehicle. The portable device determines whether an engine of the vehicle is running and a speed of the vehicle if the engine is running. The portable device clears fault codes of ECUs if the engine is not running. The portable device resets parameters of an ECU controlling an exhaust system of the vehicle to default values if the portable device remains connected to the vehicle for a predetermined time period after sending clearing the fault codes. If the engine is running and that the speed of the vehicle is zero, the portable device initiates a forced regeneration of a diesel particulate filter of the exhaust system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: OTR Performance, Inc.
    Inventor: Jason Chise
  • Patent number: 11697477
    Abstract: A sensor apparatus for a sail includes a unique sail identifier and an in-use sensor, the in-use sensor determining whether the sail is in an in-use condition or a dormant condition. The in-use sensor includes a light sensor for measuring light falling on the sail and one or more accelerometers for measuring orientation and vibration of the apparatus, wherein an in-use condition is determined from reviewing whether measurements from the light sensor and one or more accelerometers exceed threshold values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Inventor: Rachael Tamara Tapp
  • Patent number: 11648850
    Abstract: A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle capable of achieving a charging target in response to environmental change via a charging control method. The charging control method includes: setting reserved charging using external power based on a departure time and a target state of charge (SOC) of a battery; monitoring whether change in charging environment has occurred, determining whether the target SOC of the battery is capable of being achieved at a currently set departure time, when the charging environment has been changed; and performing series charging using an engine and a motor upon determining that the target SOC of the battery is incapable of being achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA MOTORS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hui Un Son, Sung Bae Jeon, Jin Kyeom Cho
  • Patent number: 11643029
    Abstract: An autonomous driving device module mounting structure includes: a floor panel that constitutes a part of a vehicle body and extends in a front to rear direction of a vehicle and a width direction of the vehicle; a rear seat that is disposed on a vehicle upper side of the floor panel such that a gap is formed with respect to the floor panel; and an autonomous driving device module that is equipped with a plurality of devices and is disposed on the vehicle upper side of the floor panel and a vehicle lower side of the rear seat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kenta Takei
  • Patent number: 11635764
    Abstract: Systems, methods, tangible non-transitory computer-readable media, and devices associated with the motion prediction and operation of a device including a vehicle are provided. For example, a vehicle computing system can access state data including information associated with locations and characteristics of objects over a plurality of time intervals. Trajectories of the objects at subsequent time intervals following the plurality of time intervals can be determined based on the state data and a machine-learned tracking and kinematics model. The trajectories of the objects can include predicted locations of the objects at subsequent time intervals that follow the plurality of time intervals. Further, the predicted locations of the objects can be based on physical constraints of the objects. Furthermore, indications, which can include visual indications, can be generated based on the predicted locations of the objects at the subsequent time intervals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: UATC, LLC.
    Inventors: Nemanja Djuric, Henggang Cui, Thi Duong Nguyen, Fang-Chieh Chou, Tsung-Han Lin, Jeff Schneider, David McAllister Bradley
  • Patent number: 11618293
    Abstract: Included are an electromagnetic actuator which includes an electric motor configured to generate drive forces for a damping operation and a telescopic operation; an information acquirer which acquires a stroke velocity of the electromagnetic actuator; a drive force arithmetic part which includes a damping force calculator configured to calculate a target damping force and a telescopic force calculator configured to calculate a target telescopic force, and which obtains a target drive force based on the target damping force and the target telescopic force; and a drive controller which controls drive of the electric motor using the target drive force. The drive force arithmetic part includes an adjuster which performs an adjustment to reduce a telescopic control amount for the target telescopic force based on the stroke velocity acquired by the information acquirer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Satoshi Ohno, Takafumi Kato, Tomoya Toyohira, Atsuhiko Yoneda
  • Patent number: 11613872
    Abstract: In a state where a slewing stop operation is input, in a first state where a slewing command value is equal to or greater than an actual slewing speed, a drive unit stops outputting a torque command value, and a free-run state occurs. In the first state, a command value calculation unit decreases the slewing command value at a first inclination. Meanwhile, in the state where the slewing stop operation is input, in a second state where the slewing command value is less than the actual slewing speed, the command value calculation unit decreases the slewing command value at a second inclination that is gentler than the first inclination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: KOBELCO CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Takayuki Doi
  • Patent number: 11613220
    Abstract: An electrical assembly includes a support assembly and/or a track assembly. The support assembly may include a first controller and/or a plurality of safety devices. The electrical assembly may include a track assembly and/or a second controller. The first controller and/or the second controller may be configured to control the plurality of safety devices via a conductor of the track assembly. The plurality of safety devices may include a first safety device, a second safety device, and/or a third safety device. The first safety device may include an airbag and/or may be configured to be activated by pyrotechnics. The first safety device may be configured to be activated by a first deployment current pulse. The support assembly may include a first portion that may include a first contact. The track assembly may include a first track that may include the conductor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: Lear Corporation
    Inventors: Raúl Ricart, Antoni Ferré Fàbregas
  • Patent number: 11607960
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for power mode control for electric propulsion vehicles are provided that include a sensor to detect a vehicle door cycle, a processor to establish an occurrence of a vehicle motion, a processor operative to initiate a timer having a default time duration in response to the occurrence of the vehicle motion and the vehicle door cycle and to generate a user prompt to extend the default time duration, the processor being further operative to transition an operating mode to a shutdown mode in response to an expiration of the time, and to extend to the default time duration in response to the user input, and a display operative to display a user interface in response to the user prompt and to receive a user input indicative of a request to extend the default time duration of the timer and to couple the user input to the processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: David T. Proefke, Kurt L. Fischer, Aaron P. Creguer
  • Patent number: 11591768
    Abstract: A control method of a work machine includes: calculating a maximum flow rate of hydraulic oil discharged from a hydraulic pump; calculating a first target speed of working equipment including a bucket based on an operation amount of an operation device operated for driving a plurality of hydraulic actuators to which the hydraulic oil discharged from the hydraulic pump is supplied to drive the working equipment and a distance between the bucket and a target excavation landform; calculating a second target speed of the working equipment based on the maximum flow rate, and the operation amount of the operation device and the distance between the bucket and the target excavation landform; and outputting a control signal for controlling the hydraulic actuators based on a smaller one of the first target speed and the second target speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: KOMATSU LTD.
    Inventors: Toru Matsuyama, Hikaru Suzuki, Jin Kitajima
  • Patent number: 11549235
    Abstract: A system to control operation of a machine having a ground-engaging work implement for moving material about a worksite include a controller configured to determine a feasible target profile for the work implement to engage material. The feasible target profile may include a preload segment, a cut segment, and a loading segment. The controller determines a feasible prospective cut segment from a plurality of prospective cut segments. The controller generates a prospective preloading segment and a prospective loading segment associated with the feasible prospective cut profile. Position points associated with the loading segment are extracted and the controller determines if the ground-engaging work implement will align with the plurality of position points. The controller may also determine whether the load volume for the prospective cut segment is efficient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Caterpillar Global Mining LLC
    Inventor: Mo Wei
  • Patent number: 11433792
    Abstract: A method of activating a head restraint system in a vehicle for an occupant is provided. The method comprises providing a vehicle seat having a seat belt and a head restraint in the vehicle and detecting the occupant in the vehicle. The method further comprises actuating the seat head restraint of the vehicle seat to an in-use position if the seat belt is buckled. The method further includes providing an actuation signal to an electronic control module of the vehicle if the seat head restraint is actuated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Russell J. Mihm, Venkata Narasimha R. Cherukuvada, Niki K. Meyers
  • Patent number: 11292469
    Abstract: A reversing assistance device suited for a mining dump truck measures a first distance to a first object, which exists at a first height comprising a trajectory of a rear wheel of the dump truck during reversing, and a second distance to a second object, which exists at a second height comprising a trajectory of a vessel during the reversing, for computing the position of the first object. If the distance between the position of the first object and a designated loading position designated by an operator of a loading machine is equal to or smaller than a threshold, the first object is determined to be an approachable object, a smaller one of the first distance and the second distance is determined as a target stop distance, and based on the target stop distance, a target stop position is computed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Wataru Tanaka, Hidefumi Ishimoto, Hideto Ishibashi
  • Patent number: 11247685
    Abstract: A road surface condition is determined appropriately. A road surface determining section (84) configured to determine a road surface condition with reference to a wheel speed signal indicative of wheel speeds includes a band-stop filter (841) which acts on the wheel speed signal and has a cutoff frequency band which is changed in accordance with the wheel speed signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: SHOWA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ken Isshiki, Eishi Ishimaru, Kyouichi Tagami, Katsutoshi Yokoi