Patents Examined by Shardul D Patel
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Patent number: 11318991Abstract: A method is for controlling a wheel steering angle of at least one vehicle wheel of a vehicle, in particular of a motor vehicle. The vehicle has a steer-by-wire steering system including at least one wheel steering angle control element, which is provided at least for modifying the wheel steering angle of the vehicle wheel according to a steering demand. In at least one operating mode, in which the vehicle is at a standstill and a steering demand is received, the wheel steering angle of the vehicle wheel is at least substantially maintained at a constant value and a desired wheel steering angle for the vehicle wheel is determined in accordance with the steering demand. In at least one subsequent additional operating mode, in which the vehicle is moving, the wheel steering angle is adjusted to the desired wheel steering angle by the wheel steering angle control element.Type: GrantFiled: January 30, 2019Date of Patent: May 3, 2022Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbHInventors: Christian Riese, Joachim Zanker, Matthias Ehrmann
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Patent number: 11312413Abstract: An operating method for a steer-by-wire steering system having a steering gear module, a steering wheel module, and a bus connecting the steering gear module and the steering wheel module, wherein an actual position in the steering gear module is sensed and a setpoint position in the steering wheel module is adjusted in relation to the actual position in the steering gear module by using an association specification. Also disclosed is a control unit for a steer-by-wire steering system, a steer-by-wire steering system, and a transportation vehicle having a steer-by-wire steering system.Type: GrantFiled: January 16, 2018Date of Patent: April 26, 2022Inventors: Timo Dobberphul, Christopher Kreis, Tobias Rüger
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Patent number: 11312343Abstract: The invention relates to a motor vehicle control unit. The control unit comprises a first processor system, which is designed to control an actuator of an electric parking brake and at least one additional motor vehicle function unit. A second processor system of the control unit is designed to control the at least one actuator in an at least partially redundant manner to the first processor system. Furthermore, there is a changeover device, which is designed to enable an activation of the at least one actuator either via the first processor system or the second processor system.Type: GrantFiled: December 12, 2017Date of Patent: April 26, 2022Assignee: ZF Active Safety GmbHInventors: Ingo Alfter, Stefan Grieser-Schmitz
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Patent number: 11305745Abstract: Systems and methods for shutoff valve control are provided. The system may receive a first hardware logic input, a second hardware logic input, and a weight-on-wheels (WOW) status wherein each of the first hardware logic input, the second hardware logic input, and the WOW status report a binary true or a false. The system may open the shutoff valve when each of the first hardware logic input, the second hardware logic input, and the WOW status report true. The system may close the shutoff valve when any of the first hardware logic input, the second hardware logic input, and the WOW status report false.Type: GrantFiled: March 14, 2019Date of Patent: April 19, 2022Assignee: GOODRICH CORPORATIONInventor: Marc Georgin
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Patent number: 11299133Abstract: A system and a method for preventing instability of a vehicle due to regenerative braking of a rear, may include a first controller configured of distributing braking torque of front and rear wheels for a deceleration level according to a basic regenerative braking distribution ratio on a regenerative brake map on the basis of a driver demand braking amount, and configured of previously reducing a rear-wheel regenerative braking torque of the rear wheel to a first reference value or less than the first reference value in an adjustment section between first and second deceleration; and a second controller connected to the first controller and configured of further reducing the rear-wheel regenerative braking torque to transmit it to the first controller, if a wheel slip value is greater than a reference slip value according to vehicle driving information during braking of the vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: September 18, 2020Date of Patent: April 12, 2022Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors CorporationInventors: Joung-Hee Lee, Ung-Hee Shin, Jae-Hun Shim
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Patent number: 11299259Abstract: An exemplary method for controlling low speed flight of an aircraft having a controller receiving pilot input includes transitioning from a translational rate command (TRC) to a linear acceleration command (LAC) when the controller is displaced above a control transition displacement (CTD), and while in LAC holding speed when the controller is relaxed to CTD.Type: GrantFiled: January 29, 2020Date of Patent: April 12, 2022Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.Inventors: Kevin Thomas Christensen, Hunter Barton Nelson, Martin Wesley Shubert, Paul David Ruckel
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Patent number: 11299113Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a device for assisting a safe exit from a vehicle, a system having the same, and a method thereof. The device for assisting a safe exit from a vehicle may include a processor for determining a surrounding situation around the vehicle and an intent of the passenger to exit from the vehicle, and performing a step-by-step notification based on the determination, and storage for receiving, from the processor, and storing information about the surrounding situation and a determination result of the intent of the passenger to exit from the vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: April 15, 2019Date of Patent: April 12, 2022Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA MOTORS CORPORATIONInventors: Gyun Ha Kim, Eung Hwan Kim, Dae Yun An, Seul Ki Jeon
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Patent number: 11285821Abstract: A battery module includes a plurality of battery cells stacked on one another and respectively having electrode leads protruding on at least one side thereof and a bus bar assembly configured to electrically connect the electrode leads of the plurality of battery cells and having at least one lead slot through which electrode leads of two battery cells adjacent to each other pass in common.Type: GrantFiled: February 21, 2020Date of Patent: March 29, 2022Assignee: LG ENERGY SOLUTION, LTD.Inventors: Tae-Geun Kim, Jin-Woo Park, Bok-Gun Lee, Jeong-Woon Lee
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Patent number: 11279401Abstract: The steer-by-wire system includes a steering device, a reaction force device, and a controller. The steering device turns wheels of a vehicle. The reaction force device applies a steering reaction force to a steering wheel. The controller is configured to control the steering reaction force by drive control of the reaction force device in response to an operation of the steering wheel. The controller is further configured to: obtain a signal including a component due to a reaction force which acts on the wheels from a road surface; extract a signal being greater than or equal to a predetermined frequency from the signal including the component due to the reaction force; and calculate a control amount of the reaction force device based on the extracted signal equal to or greater than the predetermined frequency.Type: GrantFiled: March 4, 2020Date of Patent: March 22, 2022Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Yoshio Kudo
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Patent number: 11256729Abstract: A relative atlas graph maintains mapping data used by an autonomous vehicle. The relative atlas graph may be generated for a geographical area based on observations collected from the geographical area, and may include element nodes corresponding to elements detected from the observations along with edges that connect pairs of element nodes and define relative poses between the elements for connected pairs of element nodes, as well as relations that connect multiple element nodes to define logical relationships therebetween.Type: GrantFiled: September 27, 2019Date of Patent: February 22, 2022Assignee: Aurora Operations, Inc.Inventors: Ethan Eade, Michael Bode, James Andrew Bagnell
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Patent number: 11247649Abstract: A method for decelerating a vehicle combination including a towing vehicle having a towing vehicle brake system and at least one trailer vehicle having a trailer brake system with an anti-lock brake system includes applying, by the towing vehicle brake system, a brake pressure to pneumatically operable wheel brakes of the towing vehicle according to a desired deceleration specified by a driver, and providing, by the towing vehicle brake system, a trailer brake pressure for the trailer brake system of the at least one trailer vehicle. An electronic brake control unit of the towing vehicle brake system: detects a current actual vehicle deceleration value continuously compares the current actual vehicle deceleration actual value with a maximum deceleration, and, when the current actual vehicle deceleration value reaches or exceeds the maximum deceleration, limits the brake pressure and provides an information signal.Type: GrantFiled: October 23, 2017Date of Patent: February 15, 2022Assignee: ZF CV SYSTEMS EUROPE BVInventor: Horst Eckert
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Patent number: 11247720Abstract: A steer-by-wire steering system for a vehicle is disclosed, comprising a steering wheel unit, connected with a wheel unit. The steering wheel unit has a steering wheel angle sensor, a steering wheel actuator for setting a steering wheel target torque, and a steering wheel controller for actuating the steering wheel actuator. The wheel unit has a steering sensor for capturing at least one actual steering value, a wheel actuator for setting a target steering value, and a wheel controller. The wheel controller is designed to calculate a virtual torsion rod torque based on the target steering value and the actual steering value, to actuate the wheel actuator based on the calculated virtual torsion rod torque, and to transfer the calculated virtual torsion rod torque to the steering wheel unit. The steering wheel controller is designed to calculate the steering wheel target torque based on the transferred virtual torsion rod torque.Type: GrantFiled: February 10, 2020Date of Patent: February 15, 2022Assignee: VOLKSWAGEN AKTIENGESELLSCHAFTInventors: Christopher Kreis, Tobias Rüger
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Patent number: 11231292Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure relate generally to generating and providing route options for an autonomous vehicle. For example, a user may identify a destination, and in response the vehicle's computer may provide routing options to the user. The routing options may be based on typical navigating considerations such as the total travel time, travel distance, fuel economy, etc. Each routing option may include not only an estimated total time, but also information regarding whether and which portions of the route may be maneuvered under the control of the vehicle alone (fully autonomous), a combination of the vehicle and the driver (semiautonomous), or the driver alone. The time of the longest stretch of driving associated with the autonomous mode as well as map information indicating portions of the routes associated with the type of maneuvering control may also be provided.Type: GrantFiled: August 28, 2019Date of Patent: January 25, 2022Assignee: Waymo LLCInventors: Nicholas Kenneth Hobbs, Lawrence Burns, Brian Cullinane
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Patent number: 11230318Abstract: A steering control apparatus for a steering system includes a controller. The controller sets a limit value to less than or equal to a steering angle limit value, the limit value being an upper limit of an absolute value of a torque command value, and controls a motor such that a motor torque follows the torque command. When the absolute value of a rotation angle of a rotary shaft exceeds a steering angle threshold, the controller computes a damping control amount such that the damping control amount increases with an increase in an excess of an angular velocity of the rotary shaft over a first upper limit angular velocity. The controller computes the torque command value based on a value obtained by combining the basic command value and the damping control amount such that an absolute value of the basic command value is reduced.Type: GrantFiled: July 2, 2019Date of Patent: January 25, 2022Assignees: JTEKT CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Takahiro Toko, Nobuaki Kataoka, Yukinobu Ezaki
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Patent number: 11222378Abstract: An autonomous robot vehicle in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure includes a conveyance system and a compartment coupled to the conveyance system. The conveyance system autonomously drives the autonomous robotic vehicle between one or more storage locations and one or more delivery locations. The compartment receives one or more items stored at the one more storage locations. The compartment includes a temperature control module configured to maintain the compartment within a predetermined temperature range to provide temperature control for the one or more items as the conveyance system drives between the one or more storage locations and the one or more delivery locations.Type: GrantFiled: October 16, 2019Date of Patent: January 11, 2022Assignee: NURO, INC.Inventors: David Ferguson, Jiajun Zhu, Nan Ransohoff
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Patent number: 11217040Abstract: One embodiment provides for a computing device within an autonomous vehicle, the compute device comprising a wireless network device to enable a wireless data connection with an autonomous vehicle network, a set of multiple processors including a general-purpose processor and a general-purpose graphics processor, the set of multiple processors to execute a compute manager to manage execution of compute workloads associated with the autonomous vehicle, the compute workload associated with autonomous operations of the autonomous vehicle, and offload logic configured to execute on the set of multiple processors, the offload logic to determine to offload one or more of the compute workloads to one or more autonomous vehicles within range of the wireless network device.Type: GrantFiled: April 15, 2019Date of Patent: January 4, 2022Assignee: Intel CorporationInventors: Barath Lakshamanan, Linda L. Hurd, Ben J. Ashbaugh, Elmoustapha Ould-Ahmed-Vall, Liwei Ma, Jingyi Jin, Justin E. Gottschlich, Chandrasekaran Sakthivel, Michael S. Strickland, Brian T. Lewis, Lindsey Kuper, Altug Koker, Abhishek R. Appu, Prasoonkumar Surti, Joydeep Ray, Balaji Vembu, Javier S. Turek, Naila Farooqui
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Patent number: 11203378Abstract: A control device performs steering control of a vehicle by electric power of a first battery and a second battery and includes a calculation unit that calculates a total torque to be produced and a distribution controller that controls output of the first motor and the second motor such that a sum of a first torque produced by the first motor and a second torque produced by the second motor is the total torque. When neither the first system nor the second system is defective, the distribution controller sets the first torque and the second torque based on a state of the first battery and a state of the second battery such that predetermined performance of the first battery and the second battery is within an allowable range.Type: GrantFiled: May 29, 2019Date of Patent: December 21, 2021Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Sunao Horitake
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Patent number: 11198407Abstract: An apparatus for determining a rollover condition of a vehicle may include: a rate sensing unit configured to sense one or more rates of a pitch rate PitchRate and a yaw rate YawRate of a vehicle and a roll rate RollRate_IN; an acceleration sensing unit configured to sense horizontal acceleration and vertical acceleration of the vehicle; a conversion unit configured to convert the horizontal acceleration and vertical acceleration into a pitch rate PitchRate_ACC and a yaw rate YawRate_ACC; a combination unit configured to calculate a pitch rate PitchRate_IN and a yaw rate YawRate_IN by combining the one or more rates with the pitch rate PitchRate_ACC and the yaw rate YawRate_ACC; and a determination unit configured to calculate a roll angle RollAngle, and determine whether the vehicle has rolled over, based on the roll rate RollRate_IN and the roll angle RollAngle.Type: GrantFiled: March 27, 2019Date of Patent: December 14, 2021Assignee: HYUNDAI MOBIS CO., LTD.Inventor: Sug Hyun Jeong
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Patent number: 11192469Abstract: A vehicle seat can be configured to selectively provide support to a vehicle occupant in conditions when lateral acceleration is experienced. An actuator can be located within the vehicle seat. When activated, the actuator cause a portion of the seat to morph into an activated configuration. The actuator can be activated based on vehicle speed, steering angle, and/or lateral acceleration. The actuator can include a bladder containing a dielectric fluid. A first and second conductor can be operatively positioned on opposite portions of the bladder. When electrical energy is supplied to the first and second conductors, they can have opposite charges. As a result, the first and second conductors can be electrostatically attracted toward each other to cause at least a portion of the dielectric fluid to be displaced to an outer peripheral region of the bladder, which bulges as a result and increases an overall height of the actuator.Type: GrantFiled: January 30, 2019Date of Patent: December 7, 2021Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.Inventors: Umesh N. Gandhi, Brian J. Pinkelman, Ryohei Tsuruta
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Patent number: 11192578Abstract: To provide a motor drive control device, an electric power steering device, and a vehicle which can individually diagnose abnormalities of magnetic detection elements, designed in a multisystem configuration to include at least two systems, for each system. A motor drive control device includes two systems of first and second rotation information detection function units. The first and second rotation information detection function units include first and second rotation position information detection units and first and second rotation information detection units. The first and second rotation information detection units individually diagnose their own abnormalities based on first and second motor rotation position signals detected by the first and second rotation position information detection units.Type: GrantFiled: October 29, 2019Date of Patent: December 7, 2021Assignee: NSK Ltd.Inventors: Masaki Kuwahara, Shigeyuki Uematsu