Patents Examined by Shardul Patel
  • Patent number: 9342481
    Abstract: A method for health monitoring of a damper associated with a landing gear is described which includes receiving sensor data from a pressure transducer and an accelerometer and optionally a thermal sensor operably mounted on or near the damper, a computer system, and applying, using the computer system, a diagnostic algorithm to the sensor data to induce and predict the health of the damper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Kevin L. Swearingen, Bradley J. Mitchell, Jeanne C. Maggiore, Stephen Gregory Dame, David A. Followell, Dane Joe Grgas
  • Patent number: 9335175
    Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for constructing a scalable model of an indoor space using crowd-sourced inertial navigation system (INS) signals from mobile devices. By tracking INS signals from a number of participating users, the user's trajectories can be estimated as they move their mobile devices indoors. The estimated trajectories can be scored against similar routes taken by other users. Routes with the highest scores are then laid out over a map of the indoor space to identify areas most often traveled to and from landmarks and distances between the landmarks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Faen Zhang, Edward Y. Chang, Yongqiang Huang, Shuchang Zhou
  • Patent number: 9310484
    Abstract: A device having at least one ultrasonic sensor for detecting a moving object, in particular, an approaching vehicle. To this end, the device is equipped with a control unit for determining the distance and/or the relative speed of the object. To prevent misinterpretations in the acquisition of measured values, relevant environmental conditions are simultaneously detected by an additional ultrasonic sensor and, as a correction value, provide the basis for the signal generation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventor: Wei-Chia Lee
  • Patent number: 9296417
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of operating a motor vehicle, in which, when at least one predefined driving situation is present, an assigned steering intervention is carried out by a driver assistance system. In advance of such steering interventions, predictions relating to the occurrence of the at least one predefined driving situation are produced as a function of at least one predefined criterion and, as a function of the prediction, at least one operating parameter of the motor vehicle, which is relevant for the steering intervention, is set, before the steering intervention takes place, to a predefined value which is necessary for carrying out the steering intervention. This ensures that when the driving situation takes place, the motor vehicle is in an operating state in which the steering intervention can be executed without interference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: AUDI AG
    Inventors: André Wesenberg, Michael Redeker
  • Patent number: 9285230
    Abstract: Methods and systems for detecting road curbs are described herein. A vehicle's computing system may receive point clouds collected in an incremental order as the vehicle navigates a path. The point clouds may include data points representative of the vehicle's environment at a given timepoint and include associated position information indicative of the vehicle's position at the timepoint. Based on the associated position information in the point clouds, the computing system may process the point clouds into a dense point cloud representation and may determine features of the representation. The computing system may provide the features to a classification system that is configured to output an estimate of whether the features are representative of a road curb. Based on the output of the classification system, the computing system may determine whether the given data points represent one or more road curbs in the vehicle's environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: David Harrison Silver, David Ian Ferguson
  • Patent number: 9272701
    Abstract: In an electric-mileage learning when a running mode of a plug-in hybrid vehicle is a CD mode, acquisition of information for the electric-mileage learning is not performed in the case where the running mode is changed from the CD mode to a CS mode during one trip even when the running mode is changed to the CD mode afterward. The electric-mileage learning is performed by calculating a trip electric mileage using only information acquired in the CD mode before a change to the CS mode for the first time. This avoids inclusion of an error caused by running on the uphill road in the CS mode in a learned electric mileage even when the running is performed. This enhances the accuracy of the learned electric mileage, thus accurately calculating a possible EV running distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2016
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mikihisa Arai, Masaya Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 9254363
    Abstract: Structures and protocols are presented for configuring an unmanned aerial device to participate in the performance of tasks, for using data resulting from such a configuration or performance, or for facilitating other interactions with such devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2016
    Assignee: Elwha LLC
    Inventors: Royce A. Levien, Richard T. Lord, Robert W. Lord, Mark A. Malamud, John D. Rinaldo, Jr., Lowell L. Wood, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9250626
    Abstract: The invention concerns a device and a method of remotely controlling a motorized submerged surface cleaning apparatus (1) comprising a body and a drive device, said remote control device comprising a control terminal (15) having a housing, a device (16) for transmitting control signals for the drive device, characterized in that the housing comprises an orientation detector furnishing at least one orientation parameter of the housing, and in that said device comprises a unit for processing orientation parameters, producing a first command for the drive device for an orientation parameter that is within a first interval of values, and a second command for the drive device for an orientation parameter that is within a second predetermined interval of values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: ZODIAC POOL CARE EUROPE
    Inventor: Thierry Michelon
  • Patent number: 9250078
    Abstract: Method for determining the position of moving objects, wherein the object has a sensor or an apparatus for determining odometry data, having the steps of: transmitting the odometry data to a calculation device, estimating the location and position of the object with the aid of the calculation device, creating a diffusion matrix on the basis of the estimated location and position taking into account environmental data, determining a contour line on the basis of the diffusion matrix, determining the distances between the position and the contour line for different orientations, in particular each orientation, and calculating a probability density function on the basis of the distances determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: Deutsches Zentrum Fuer Luft-Und Raumfarhrt E.V.
    Inventors: Susanna Kaiser, Mohammed Khider, Patrick Robertson
  • Patent number: 9235991
    Abstract: A method includes forming a first schedule for a first vehicle to travel in a transportation network. The first schedule includes a first arrival time of the first vehicle at a scheduled location. The method also includes receiving a first trip plan for the first vehicle from an energy management system. The first trip plan is based on the first schedule and designates at least one of tractive efforts or braking efforts to be provided by the first vehicle to reduce at least one of an amount of energy consumed by the first vehicle or an amount of emissions generated by the first vehicle when the first vehicle travels through the transportation network to the scheduled location. The method further includes determining whether to modify the first schedule to avoid interfering with movement of one or more other vehicles by examining the trip plan for the first vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jared Klineman Cooper, Joseph Forrest Noffsinger, Ajith Kuttannair Kumar, Mason Samuels, Paul Houpt, Joel Kickbusch, Mahir Telatar, David Eldredge, Mitchell Scott Wills, Ramu Chandra
  • Patent number: 9233686
    Abstract: A method and system for setting a learning period of an engine clutch of a hybrid vehicle are provided. The engine clutch controls a connection of power between an engine and a motor of a hybrid vehicle, and the method includes: detecting and accumulating a launch slip time of the engine clutch; detecting and accumulating a launch slip entry number of times of the engine clutch; detecting and accumulating a time in which a temperature of the engine clutch exceeds a setting temperature; detecting and accumulating a number of times in which the temperature of the engine clutch exceeds the setting temperature; and setting a learning period of the engine clutch based on at least one of the launch slip accumulation time, the launch slip entry accumulation number of times, the setting temperature exceeding accumulation time, and the setting temperature exceeding accumulation number of times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2016
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Joonyoung Park, Chun Hyuk Lee
  • Patent number: 9221554
    Abstract: Disclosed is a runway alerting method and system for an aircraft performing a landing maneuver. During the landing maneuver, a minimum stopping position and a maximum stopping position for the aircraft along the runway is determined using aircraft energy state, deceleration and braking information. The minimum stopping position is based upon the aircraft performing a maximum flare maneuver prior to touchdown on the runway and the maximum stopping position is based upon the aircraft performing a minimum flare maneuver prior to touchdown on the runway. The minimum and maximum stopping positions are presented to the aircraft pilot on a display to assist the pilot in safely landing the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas Horne, Thomas Landers, John Mayo
  • Patent number: 9212031
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a crane control apparatus for a crane where a load is suspended on a crane cable from a cable suspension point of the crane, comprising an observer for estimating at least the position and/or velocity of the load from at least one sensor input of a first sensor by using a physical model of the load suspended on the crane cable, whereby the physical model of the observer uses the load position and/or the load velocity as a state variable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: Liebherr-Werk Nenzing GmbH
    Inventors: Klaus Schneider, Oliver Sawodny, Conrad Sagert, Ulf Schaper
  • Patent number: 9211906
    Abstract: A vehicle suspension device includes first lower link member and a second lower link member configured to individually couple a vehicle side support part and the axle carrier having an axle of rotatably supporting a turning wheel, a first upper link member and a second upper link member, and a component of moving a virtual lower pivot point represented by a cross point of the first lower link member and the second lower link member, in a planer view, toward an outer side and frontward in a vehicle width direction, when the turning wheel is turned from a straight travel state, and moving a virtual upper pivot point represented by a cross point of the first upper link member and the second upper link member at least toward the outer side and frontward in the vehicle width direction, when the turning wheel is turned from the straight travel state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yusuke Kageyama
  • Patent number: 9207677
    Abstract: A vehicle positioning method and its system are disclosed. The vehicle positioning method has a camera adapted to be mounted in front of a vehicle, multiple visible marks mounted in a photographing-available range of a camera, and a vehicle positioning system. Each visible mark contains a position information related to a location of the visible mark. The vehicle positioning system receives an image of the visible mark captured from the camera and image-processes the image to read the position information of the captured visible mark. The vehicle positioning system further calculates a distance between the captured visible mark and the vehicle and then further corrects the position information of the captured visible mark to have GPS coordinates of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: AUTOMOTIVE RESEARCH & TESTING CENTER
    Inventor: Chih-Neng Liang
  • Patent number: 9199646
    Abstract: A method for running a vehicle (100) that includes a combustion engine (101) which can selectively be connected to a driveshaft (104, 105) to deliver driving force to the driveshaft (104, 105) for propulsion of the vehicle (100). When the vehicle (100) is in motion, determining whether the vehicle (100) is approaching a downgrade and, when it is approaching the downgrade, disconnecting the engine (101) from the driveshaft (104, 105) before the vehicle (100) reaches the downgrade. Also a system and a vehicle are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: SCANIA CV AB
    Inventors: Mustafa Abdul-Rasool, Oskar Johansson, Mikael Ögren
  • Patent number: 9199609
    Abstract: A start system includes a vehicle bus system disposed in a motor vehicle. A powertrain control module is connected to the vehicle bus system. The powertrain control module includes an engaged state electrically enabling the powertrain control module to provide tractive power to a vehicle drive wheel, and a disengaged state electrically inhibiting the powertrain control module from providing tractive power to the vehicle drive wheel or another vehicle drive wheel. An authentication system is in communication with the vehicle bus system and with an electronic pattern-entry user interface. The authentication system is responsive to an entered pattern entered on the interface while the powertrain control module is in a current instance of the disengaged state. The powertrain control module enters the engaged state only in response to an authenticated engagement command communicated from the authentication system to the powertrain control module in response to authenticating the entered pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventor: Abuzafor M. Rasal
  • Patent number: 9193441
    Abstract: The display device (1) comprises means (3) for correcting an acceleration value used for displaying on a screen (7) a speed trend of the airplane, making it possible to zero a speed trend symbol (11) when the Mach number of the airplane does not vary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: Airbus Operations (SAS)
    Inventors: Jean Muller, Christophe Poujol
  • Patent number: 9188985
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas Kenneth Hobbs, Lawrence Burns, Brian Cullinane
  • Patent number: 9176924
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes roadway map updating using vehicle performance and location information from plural vehicles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: AutoConnect Holdings LLC
    Inventor: Christopher P. Ricci