Patents Examined by Thomas Black
  • Patent number: 8666619
    Abstract: A method includes: receiving M solenoids, each marked with a unique one of M identifiers, where M is an integer greater than one; receiving M lookup tables associated with respective ones of the M identifiers, wherein each of the M lookup tables establishes a relationship between input current and output pressure for only one of the M solenoids; assembling a transmission with a selected one of the M solenoids; selecting one of the M lookup tables based on one of the M identifiers marked on the selected one of the M solenoids; storing the selected one of the M lookup tables in memory of a transmission control module of a vehicle that is assembled with the transmission; and controlling output pressure of the selected one of the M solenoids based on the selected one of the M lookup tables and the input current using the transmission control module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Inventors: Christopher G. Benson, Matthew R. Malik, Steven Mark Bezdek, Timothy P. Philippart, Martha A. Crisler, Stonewall J. Craig
  • Patent number: 8660766
    Abstract: A clutch unit (47) comprises a wet friction clutch for controllable transmission of a torque from an input element (41) to an output element (45), housing that contains the friction clutch and oil for cooling the friction clutch, and an actuator (51) for actuating the friction clutch. The actuator is attached to the housing in a thermally conductive way and has a temperature sensor (108) for sensing a temperature of the actuator. In order to computationally determine the oil temperature (TÖl) in the clutch unit (47), a thermal input power to the clutch unit is determined as a function of at least a speed of the input element and/or of the output element. The difference between the thermal input power and the thermal output power is determined, and the oil temperature is determined as a function of the difference that was determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Magna Powertrain AG & Co KG
    Inventors: Ender Ergun, Manfred Gollner, Martin Parigger
  • Patent number: 8657095
    Abstract: The invention relates to a control device and to a method for controlling an automated clutch, which includes a hydraulic clutch actuating system, which has a hydrostatic actuator, which is driven by and electric-motor actuating drive having an incremental displacement sensor in such a way that the actuator moves in a translatable manner. The invention includes an absolute displacement sensor, which detects the actuator position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG
    Inventor: Juergen Eich
  • Patent number: 8660771
    Abstract: A method for detecting the opening of a thrust reverser for a jet engine of an aircraft is disclosed. According to the method, an operating parameter of the turbojet (1) is determined being responsive to the opening of a mobile element (2a, 2b) of the thrust reverser and reacting to such an opening by a sudden variation of the value thereof, the parameter is measured continuously and the mobile element (2a, 2b) is considered as being opened when the sudden variation is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS
    Inventors: Patrick Jegu, Jacques Rosay, Emanuele Costanzo
  • Patent number: 8660785
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided for providing users diagnosis on driving operations in the same manner as diagnosing vehicle failures and for presenting evaluation with supporting data so that users may recognize their driving operations. The apparatus reads out driving data for a plurality of driving cycles from an electronic control unit on board the vehicle. The electronic control unit includes a memory for storing driving data representing fuel efficiency condition of the vehicle in accordance with driving operation by a user in each driving cycle of the vehicle. Charts are produced representing fuel efficiency condition for each driving operation by the user for each driving cycle, based on the read out driving data. The charts are output as comparison results for each one of the driving cycles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasushi Sato, Hideyuki Tsuchikiri, Mai Fujii, Hiroshi Inoue
  • Patent number: 8655508
    Abstract: A method of aircraft engine thermal threat mitigation includes detecting an airflow thermal profile at a location on the aircraft forward of an aircraft engine inlet and transmitting the thermal profile to an aircraft control system. The thermal profile is compared to a catalog of thermal threat profiles at the aircraft control system and a determination is made if a thermal threat is present based on the comparison. A thermal threat mitigation measure is initiated to reduce an effect of the thermal threat on aircraft engine performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation
    Inventor: David H. Sweet
  • Patent number: 8655590
    Abstract: A method, database, memory computer readable medium and navigation device are disclosed. In at least one embodiment, the method includes projecting a plurality of known address points onto an address segment vector of a source map database, to create projection points; interpolating locations for addresses of the address points, to create corresponding interpolation points; and segmenting the address segment vector into a plurality of address sub-segment vectors, upon a distance between a projection point and a corresponding interpolation point exceeding a threshold distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: TomTom North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Geilich, Duane Snell
  • Patent number: 8655552
    Abstract: A control device and a method for triggering a passenger protection arrangement for a vehicle are provided, at least two acceleration signals being provided by at least two acceleration sensors oriented in different spatial directions. The orientations are angled in relation to a coordinate system oriented toward the vehicle longitudinal direction. The at least two acceleration signals are transformed on at least two axes of the coordinate system. The triggering signal is generated as a function of the comparison of the at least two acceleration signals and the transformed acceleration signals. The passenger protection arrangement is triggered as a function of the triggering signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventor: Marcus Hiemer
  • Patent number: 8655542
    Abstract: An electronic tag is attached to a filter cartridge, which includes a filter. The electronic tag stores individual product information of the filter and wirelessly transmits the individual product information. A wireless receiver device is installed to a predetermined location of a vehicle, which is other than the filter cartridge and receives the individual product information transmitted from the electronic tag. A diagnostic device diagnoses whether the individual product information is received by the wireless receiver device or whether the filter cartridge installed in the vehicle has a desired filtering performance based on contents of the individual product information received by the wireless receiver device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Hideki Narisako, Takashi Kikutani, Katsuhiko Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 8655541
    Abstract: A vehicle update system for updating a vehicle's ROM data is provided. More specifically, a telematics unit is configured to receive new ROM data transmitted from a telematics server. An electronic control unit (ECU) is configured first check to determine whether certain update conditions are satisfied and when they are satisfied, update the old ROM data to the new ROM data using at least one of a main battery and an auxiliary battery. More specifically, the update conditions are that the charged state and the voltage level for at least one of the main battery and the auxiliary battery is greater than a certain level, the vehicle is stopped or parked, and the controller area network (CAN) communication state of the vehicle is normal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Sung Il You
  • Patent number: 8655567
    Abstract: Included are pressure increasing valves and pressure reducing valves as flow control valves, placed between a brake fluid pressure generation unit on an upstream side that generates brake fluid pressure and a braking force generation unit on a downstream side that generates braking force in accordance with the brake fluid pressure to a wheel, that regulates the brake fluid pressure to the braking force generation unit by controlling the flow rate of brake fluid, and an electronic control unit is provided with: a differential pressure obtaining unit that obtains information on the difference of brake fluid pressure from the brake fluid pressure on upstream and downstream sides of the flow control valve; a hydrodynamic force obtaining unit that obtains information on hydrodynamic force induced in a valve element by the flow of brake fluid passing through the flow control valve; and a brake fluid pressure control unit that controls the flow control valve by use of the information on the differential pressure and
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshinori Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8655518
    Abstract: A system includes a scheduling module and a resolution module. The scheduling module determines plural initial schedules for plural different vehicles to concurrently travel in a transportation network. The initial schedules include locations and times for the vehicles to travel. The resolution module modifies at least one of the initial schedules to one or more modified schedules based on an anomaly in at least one of the vehicles or the routes that prevents one or more of the vehicles from traveling in the transportation network according to the initial schedules. The scheduling module communicates the modified schedules to the vehicles so that energy management systems disposed on the vehicles modify travel of the vehicles according to the modified schedules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Jared Cooper, Joseph Noffsinger, Ajith Kuttannair Kumar, Mason Samuels, Paul Houpt, Joel Kickbusch, Mahir Telatar, David Eldredge, Mitchell Scott Wills, Ramu Chandra
  • Patent number: 8655562
    Abstract: A method for setting a vehicle in motion: The vehicle includes a combustion engine for generating driving force for transmission to at least one powered wheel via a clutch and a gearbox. The driving force is selectively transmitted from the engine to the powered wheels by closure of the clutch. Gear changes by the gearbox are at least partly controlled by a control system. With the clutch closed and upon demand for the vehicle to be set in motion with the clutch closed, the control system activates the vehicle's starter motor with gear engaged, and uses the starter motor to accelerate the combustion engine to an initial speed which represents a speed at which the combustion engine will start.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Scania CB AB
    Inventors: Peter Juhlin-Dannfelt, Richard Boström, Peter Asplund, Johan Kingstedt
  • Patent number: 8655579
    Abstract: A device for providing driving assistance for a driver of the vehicle to avoid the object of the risk subject when driving the vehicle, which includes: an object determination unit that detects the object; a collision prediction time calculation unit that calculates a time to collision which is a time indicating a degree to which the vehicle approaches to the object; an estimated risk level determination unit that determines an estimated risk level indicating a possibility of the object moving onto a predicted travelling path of the vehicle; and a driving assistance content determination unit that determines driving assistance content based on the collision prediction time and the estimated risk level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Jun Sakugawa, Hideo Fukamachi, Masayuki Shimizu, Shinichi Nagata
  • Patent number: 8655550
    Abstract: An electric power steering system includes an electric assist motor, a controller, a first corrector, and a second corrector. The electric assist motor is configured to assist steering according to a steering assist amount. The controller is configured to control the steering assist amount in accordance with an input steering force. The first corrector is configured to correct the steering assist amount with a correction amount in accordance with a steering torque during running on a cant road. The second corrector is configured to correct the correction amount in accordance with a steering angular velocity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshifumi Nakamura, Norio Yamazaki, Shigenori Takimoto, Yoshimichi Kawamoto
  • Patent number: 8649931
    Abstract: A vehicle cooling system includes: a channel allowing a liquid medium cooling a drive device of the vehicle to circulate; a flow rate detection unit detecting a flow rate of the liquid medium flowing in the channel; a temperature sensor detecting a temperature of the liquid medium; a pump provided on the channel for circulating the liquid medium; a rotational speed sensor detecting a rotational speed of the pump; and a control device controlling drive of the pump. The control device identifies a malfunctioning part of the cooling system based on the flow rate and the temperature of the liquid medium and the rotational speed of the pump. Thus, since abnormalities of the cooling mechanism can be detected with higher precision so that the abnormalities are distinguished from each other, it is a limited part that should be checked when repairs are made and the work efficiency is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Jun Nishizawa
  • Patent number: 8649942
    Abstract: An engine speed sensor determines engine speed data of an internal combustion engine for moving a material distribution vehicle. A ground speed sensor measures a ground speed of the material distribution vehicle. A data processor for controlling a dispensation system to distribute an agricultural input or material at a rate based on the measured ground speed and the engine speed data (e.g., sensed engine speed or change in engine speed) to anticipate a change in the ground speed of the material dispensation vehicle such that a lag in the rate of agricultural input delivered is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventor: Wade Steven Mitchell
  • Patent number: 8649930
    Abstract: A GNSS integrated multi-sensor guidance system for a vehicle assembly includes a suite of sensor units, including a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) sensor unit comprising a receiver and an antenna. An inertial measurement unit (IMU) outputs vehicle dynamic information for combining with the output of the GNSS unit. A controller with a processor receives the outputs of the sensor suite and computes steering solutions, which are utilized by vehicle actuators, including an automatic steering control unit connected to the vehicle steering for guiding the vehicle. The processor is programmed to define multiple behavior-based automatons comprising self-operating entities in the guidance system, which perform respective behaviors using data output from one or more sensor units for achieving the behaviors. A GNSS integrated multi-sensor vehicle guidance method is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: AgJunction LLC
    Inventors: David R. Reeve, Malcolm B. Jones, Andreas F. Ramm, Aaron C. Stichter, Joshua M. Gattis
  • Patent number: 8649919
    Abstract: A method for attenuating effects of turbulence on an aircraft, and a device to implement the method, the method including: using at least one signal on a wind profile signal, along an excitation direction, representing, at a given moment in an aircraft referential, a component along the excitation direction of the wind speed at a front of the aircraft according to a distance along a longitudinal direction of the aircraft; carrying out a frequency determination, in which the wind profile signal is processed to determine a frequential content; and selecting a control strategy to be adopted according to the previously determined frequential content, the strategy enabling at least one applicable control law to be identified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Airbus Operations S.A.S.
    Inventors: Guillermo Jenaro Rabadan, Stephane Puig
  • Patent number: 8645027
    Abstract: A method of adjusting the angular rolling position of the plane of a motor vehicle wheel, in which the wheel is mounted on a vehicle so that the plane of the wheel can present a static angular position and a safety angular position, the method providing for the plane of the wheel to be maintained in the static angular position when the wheel is rolling and, in case of detection of at least one critical rolling parameter, for the wheel plane to be shifted to a safety angular position for a predetermined time period before the plane of the wheel is returned to the static angular position. A wheel mounting of a motor vehicle in which the method can be implemented is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignees: Societe de Technologie Michelin, Michelin Recherche et Technique S.A.
    Inventors: Michel Blondelet, Alain Vaxelaire, Christophe Pyszczek