Patents Examined by Thomas Black
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Patent number: 8682512Abstract: A method includes determining a plurality of characteristic profiles associated with a mobile asset moving from a first operating point to a second operating point along a predefined path. The method further includes determining a fuel combustion ratio of the plurality of the fuels associated with at least one engine cylinder of the mobile asset based on the plurality of characteristic profiles so as to maintain a plurality of actual values associated with usage of the plurality of fuels to less than or equal to predefined corresponding threshold values. The method also includes controlling a fuel delivery system of the mobile asset so as to deliver the plurality of fuels to the at least one engine cylinder based on the fuel combustion ratio.Type: GrantFiled: December 16, 2011Date of Patent: March 25, 2014Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventor: Daniel George Norton
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Patent number: 8682524Abstract: A view control system is communicably connected to a display device for displaying data in accordance with an information resource. The view control system includes a view control device. The view control device includes a regulation determiner, a view regulator, and a resource data sender. The regulation determiner determines whether to regulate visible output of the information resource. The view regulator associates regulatory data with the information resource upon determining to regulate visible output of the information resource. The resource data sender sends resource data including the information resource, associated regulatory data, and a message conveying that visible output of the information resource is regulated. Either the message or data generated in accordance with the information resource is sent to the display device.Type: GrantFiled: June 22, 2009Date of Patent: March 25, 2014Assignee: Fujitsu LimitedInventor: Eiji Kitagawa
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Patent number: 8682503Abstract: A mobile interface for controlling a plurality of vehicle functions in a motor vehicle using a controller connected to the vehicle, having a wireless data interchange with a controller, an input apparatus, and an energy store. By virtue of the wireless data interchange being connected to a data processing unit integrated in the mobile interface and which is designed to apply at least one cryptological method, a greater scope of functions becomes possible that can also include control of safety-relevant vehicle functions.Type: GrantFiled: December 2, 2010Date of Patent: March 25, 2014Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbHInventors: Ralf Bosch, Gerhard Rombach
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Patent number: 8682578Abstract: A road link string conversion method for converting first road link string data included in first map data into second road link string data included in second map data: deciding whether or not first coordinates-of-position strings corresponding to the first road link string data correspond to the second road link string data; constructing a second coordinates-of-position string by combining together the first coordinates-of-position strings decided as not corresponding to the second road link string data; establishing correspondence between the second coordinates-of-position string and the second road link string data; and converting the first road link string data including the first coordinates-of-position strings decided as not corresponding to the second road link string data, to the second road link string data to which the second coordinates-of-position string corresponds.Type: GrantFiled: February 24, 2011Date of Patent: March 25, 2014Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.Inventors: Mariko Okude, Hirofumi Komine, Kenji Suzuki, Tomoaki Hiruta
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Patent number: 8682575Abstract: A method of operating a navigation system in a vehicle may entail invoking an off-road mode of the navigation system; displaying a first off-road terrain on a navigation system display; displaying a first present location of the vehicle on the display, inputting a first user-input off-road destination into the navigation system; inputting a first user-input off-road waypoint into the navigation system; displaying straight line trajectories between the start point, the first user-input off-road waypoint and the destination on a display of the navigation system and displaying a first real-time path of on-screen breadcrumbs as the vehicle travels off-road in current or real-time; shifting on the display, each user-entered off-road waypoint to a closest on-screen breadcrumb of the first real-time path; shifting on the display, the user-entered destination to the closest on-screen breadcrumb; and storing the first real-time path in a memory of a navigation control unit.Type: GrantFiled: June 25, 2009Date of Patent: March 25, 2014Assignees: DENSO International America, Inc., Denso CorporationInventor: Naohiro Sakashita
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Patent number: 8682500Abstract: A driving assistance apparatus is a lane keeping apparatus that performs a vehicle driving assistance so that a vehicle runs along a set target course, and includes a vehicle control ECU; a camera; an image ECU; a steering torque sensor; and a steering torque applying unit. The vehicle control ECU includes a parallel running vehicle trajectory estimating unit which estimates the trajectory of the parallel running vehicle running on the adjacent lane and a target course correcting unit which corrects the target course of the own vehicle on the basis of the estimation trajectory of the parallel running vehicle. Since the target course of the own vehicle is corrected on the basis of the estimated trajectory of the parallel running vehicle, it is possible to sufficiently reduce the driver's anxiety with respect to the parallel running vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: April 21, 2009Date of Patent: March 25, 2014Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Jun Sakugawa
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Patent number: 8676402Abstract: An electric sentry system provides utilities for the welfare of a docked boat. The sentry system serves as boat and lift control, and security, system that has a wireless interface for two-way communications with a mobile wireless device. The system is configured to receive commands sent from the mobile wireless device. The system is also configured to independently monitor conditions involving the boat, the lift, or the premises surrounding the docked boat slip, and provide notifications to the boat owner/relevant user upon the occurrence of certain report-worthy events. This includes having the system monitoring online sources for extreme weather and/or other climatic data.Type: GrantFiled: September 5, 2013Date of Patent: March 18, 2014Inventor: Stephen Foster
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Patent number: 8676492Abstract: A method for map-aided vision-based lane sensing. The method includes receiving map information corresponding to a current geographic position of a vehicle on a roadway. The map information includes the number of lanes on the roadway. Information about the number of lanes crossed by the vehicle on the roadway is received. It is determined which of the lanes on the roadway is currently occupied by the vehicle based on the map information and the number of lanes crossed by the vehicle on the roadway.Type: GrantFiled: January 19, 2006Date of Patent: March 18, 2014Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLCInventors: Bakhtiar Brian Litkouhi, Varsha Sadekar
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Patent number: 8676466Abstract: A method for controlling speed of a vehicle based upon control messages received through a communications device within the vehicle includes monitoring communication of control messages to a propulsion controller wherein control messages includes a speed profile including a current speed command representing instantaneous desired speed of the vehicle and future speed commands representing a predetermined controlled vehicle stop through a speed profile period, detecting anomalous communications of the control messages, and controlling the speed of the vehicle during anomalous communications using the future speed commands.Type: GrantFiled: March 30, 2010Date of Patent: March 18, 2014Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLCInventor: Upali Priyantha Mudalige
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Patent number: 8676432Abstract: A vehicle fault diagnosis and prognosis system includes a computing platform configured to receive a classifier from a remote server, the computing platform tangibly embodying computer-executable instructions for evaluating data sequences received from a vehicle control network and applying the classifier to the data sequences, wherein the classifier is configured to determine if the data sequences define a pattern that is associated with a particular fault.Type: GrantFiled: January 13, 2010Date of Patent: March 18, 2014Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLCInventors: Debprakash Patnaik, Pulak Bandyopadhyay, Steven W. Holland, Kootaala P. Unnikrishnan, George Paul Montgomery, Jr.
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Patent number: 8676497Abstract: An apparatus and method searches and provides additional Points-of-interest (POI) information to a user when basic POI information such as POI name, address, phone number, etc. is specified. In one aspect, the system includes an information managing unit to search, display and transmit POI information, a communication interface and a plurality of information providers adapted to stream information to the communication interface, and a communication network adapted to connect the information managing unit and the communication interface. The basic information and an additional POI information search request can be transmitted from the information managing unit to the communication interface to search for the additional POI information in the information providers and transmit the additional POI information back to the information managing unit. The additional POI information may be filtered and organized before presenting to the user.Type: GrantFiled: July 21, 2009Date of Patent: March 18, 2014Assignee: Alpine Electronics, Inc.Inventors: Kyte Feng, Bharathi Peddi
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Patent number: 8676499Abstract: Movement guidance systems, devices, methods, and programs set a guidance branch point on a guidance route. The systems, devices, methods, and programs acquire a position and a shape of the guidance branch point and a prior branch point, and determine whether the prior branch point is adjacent based on the acquired information. The prior branch point is adjacent when the prior branch point exists within a first predetermined distance from the guidance branch point and is connected with a road in a same direction as the guidance branch point. When it is determined that the prior branch point is adjacent, the systems, devices, methods, and programs complete verbal guidance for the guidance branch point at a timing at which the movable body is located at a guidance end point that is located a second predetermined distance before the prior branch point.Type: GrantFiled: August 29, 2012Date of Patent: March 18, 2014Assignee: Aisin AW Co., Ltd.Inventors: Masatoshi Tomita, Masashi Takeuchi
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Patent number: 8676426Abstract: An apparatus and method for guiding an automatic guided vehicle along a magnetic pathway and more specifically to an apparatus and a method capable of accurately and precisely following a weak magnetic field emitted by a substantially continuous passive magnetic marker having route junctions.Type: GrantFiled: August 29, 2012Date of Patent: March 18, 2014Assignee: Jervis B. Webb CompanyInventor: Christopher John Murphy
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Patent number: 8676463Abstract: A travel controlling apparatus of a vehicle includes a slip ratio detecting unit that obtains a slip ratio of front wheels and rear wheels depending on a travel state of the vehicle, a friction coefficient detecting unit that obtains a friction coefficient of the front wheels and the rear wheels depending on the travel state of the vehicle, a slip ratio stable region setting unit that sets a slip ratio stable region in which the friction coefficient becomes a predetermined value or more depending on the travel state of the vehicle, a braking/driving force controlling unit that controls a braking/driving force in the slip ratio stable region, and a slip ratio stable region changing unit that changes an upper limit value and a lower limit value in the slip ratio stable region depending on a variation of the friction coefficient when the slip ratio increases and when the slip ratio decreases.Type: GrantFiled: November 25, 2008Date of Patent: March 18, 2014Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Ryosuke Okubo, Hiroshi Kobayashi, Satoshi Suzuki
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Patent number: 8670928Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for optimally recording or transmitting positional data and events of an object, said apparatus including input means to continuously provide positional data to a microprocessor and a memory device to store selected positional data wherein the microprocessor is programmed to compares new positional data from said input means to previously recorded log of positional data and creates a new log if the new positional data differs from the previously recorded log in accordance with pre-determined parameters.Type: GrantFiled: September 22, 2011Date of Patent: March 11, 2014Assignee: Geotab, Inc.Inventor: Neil Charles Cawse
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Patent number: 8670926Abstract: A navigation device and a control method thereof are disclosed. The navigation device control method includes the steps of using a display unit to display at least one road map thereon; using a processing unit to determine whether a moving speed of the navigation device is larger than a speed threshold value; and if the moving speed of the navigation device is larger than the speed threshold value, the processing unit controlling the display unit to adjust a manner in which the road map is displayed on the display unit.Type: GrantFiled: September 2, 2011Date of Patent: March 11, 2014Assignees: MiTAC International Corp., MiTAC Research (Shanghai) Ltd.Inventor: Hua-En Zhang
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Patent number: 8666661Abstract: A system and method for video navigation are disclosed. Motion analysis can be performed upon camera images to determine movement of a vehicle, and consequently present position of the vehicle. Feature points can be identified upon a video image. Movement of the feature points between video frames is indicative of movement of the vehicle. Video navigation can be used, for example, in those instances wherein GPS navigation is unavailable.Type: GrantFiled: March 31, 2006Date of Patent: March 4, 2014Assignee: The Boeing CompanyInventor: Robert P. Higgins
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Patent number: 8666624Abstract: A clutch control device that controls a clutch by driving a piston using a working fluid, having: stroke start determining means (S1) for determining that a stroke of the piston has started and detecting a stroke start oil pressure at that time; stroke end determining means (S4) for determining that the stroke of the piston is complete and detecting a stroke end oil pressure at that time; stroke end range estimating means (S3) for estimating a range of the stroke end oil pressure from the stroke start oil pressure detected by the stroke start determining means; and learning means (S5, S6) for learning the stroke end oil pressure detected by the stroke end determining means when the stroke end oil pressure is within the estimated range of the stroke end oil pressure. Learning precision of the stroke end oil pressure can be improved.Type: GrantFiled: March 21, 2008Date of Patent: March 4, 2014Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.Inventor: Yoshinobu Kawamoto
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Patent number: 8666579Abstract: A hybrid vehicle is driven by a power unit which includes: a first rotating machine including a first rotor, a first stator, and a second rotor, wherein the number of magnetic poles generated by an armature row of the first stator and one of the first rotor and the second rotor are connected to a drive shaft; a power engine, wherein an output shaft of the power engine is connected to the other of the first rotor and the second rotor; a second rotating machine; and a capacitor. The hybrid vehicle includes: a state detector that detects a charge state of the capacitor; and a controller that controls the power unit. The controller controls the output of the power engine, based on a remaining capacity of the capacitor when driving the power engine in order to start the hybrid vehicle. Accordingly, it is possible to achieve reduction in the size and cost of the power unit and enhance the driving efficiency of the power unit.Type: GrantFiled: July 23, 2010Date of Patent: March 4, 2014Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Shigemitsu Akutsu, Noriyuki Abe, Kota Kasaoka, Masashi Bando, Satoyoshi Oya
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Patent number: 8666606Abstract: The steering system of the invention includes a processing means (26) comprising a means for determining (30) a driving signal (S3) of the power means (25) on the basis of: a first control signal (S1) determined from the measure of a torque applied by the driver on the steering wheel by applying a gain that depends on the longitudinal speed of the vehicle; a second correction signal (S2) determined from the measure of the torque applied by the driver on the steering wheel, and a setpoint determined on the basis of at least one characteristic parameter of the lateral dynamics of the vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: July 10, 2008Date of Patent: March 4, 2014Assignee: JTEKT EuropeInventors: Stephane Cassar, Jean-Marc Kasbarian