Patents Examined by Thomas Black
  • Patent number: 8731818
    Abstract: A navigation system for motor vehicles includes a receiving unit for receiving traffic messages to which a location information object is in each case assigned. A display unit for displaying a digital road map and a control unit. The control unit is coupled to the receiving unit and the display unit, and is operatively configured such that cutouts of a digital road map to which the traffic messages relate are successively displayed of the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Hermann Kuenzner, Armin Distler, Wilfried Steins
  • Patent number: 8731791
    Abstract: When an internal combustion engine is cranked up from a stopped position of a piston in a restart-time first ignition cylinder which is scheduled to start a combustion at the time of an automatic restart of the engine under an automatic stop of the engine during an idling-stop control, a restart-time ignition time interval between a time point when the cranking of the engine is started and a time point when the restart-time first ignition cylinder is initially ignited is calculated. A drive-start timing of a starter motor is delayed according to this restart-time ignition time interval. Thereby, the cranking of the engine is carried out by the starter motor under a state where the hydraulic pressure supplied from the electric oil pump has increased. Thus, the slip in the clutch of the CVT can be suppressed when the gas mixture in the restart-time first ignition cylinder is initially ignited.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shouta Hamane, Takayuki Iwasaki, Yoshikazu Hirato
  • Patent number: 8731784
    Abstract: A blade control system of the present invention includes an angle obtaining part, an open ratio setting part and a lift cylinder controlling part. The angle obtaining part is configured to obtain an angle of a lift frame with respect to a designed surface. The open ratio setting part is configured to set an open ratio based on the angle. The lift cylinder controlling part is configured to open a proportional control valve at the open ratio for elevating the blade when a distance between the designed surface and an edge of a blade is determined to be less than or equal to a threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Hayashi, Kenjiro Shimada, Kenji Okamoto
  • Patent number: 8731763
    Abstract: A method for controlling battery replacement based on distance data and a system thereof are provided. The method includes: reading current distance data of an electric vehicle, wherein the current distance data indicates the total distance that the electric vehicle has traveled; receiving related recharge information for the electric vehicle submitted by a user, wherein the related recharge information includes a distance account, and the distance account indicates that the user currently adopts a billing policy in which the user is credited with a fixed amount of distance in a fixed period of time; and determining whether to perform an operation of replacing a battery of the electric vehicle according to the distance data and the billing policy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignees: Hangzhou Electric Power Bureau, Hangzhou Da You Science Technology Development Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Xin Cai, Quan Wang, Fan Zhang, Liang Nie, Zhengxian Zheng, Bo Li
  • Patent number: 8731771
    Abstract: A tire inflation pressure obtaining unit obtains tire inflation pressure. An inflation pressure storing unit stores a tire inflation pressure after start of travel of a vehicle as an after-travel inflation pressure. A pressure reduction determining unit determines reduction in the tire inflation pressure based on the tire inflation pressure obtained. A reference pressure setting unit sets larger one of the after-travel inflation pressure and a predetermined lowest reference pressure as a reference pressure of tire inflation pressure determination when reduction in the tire inflation pressure is determined, and sets the lowest reference pressure as a reference pressure of tire inflation pressure determination when reduction in the tire inflation pressure is not determined. An alarm unit generates an alarm when the tire inflation pressure becomes below an alarm pressure threshold which is determined from the reference pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideki Kusunoki, Hideki Ohashi
  • Patent number: 8731744
    Abstract: The guiding mode transition aiding device includes a target heading determining device and a mode transition triggering system. The target heading determining device is configured to determine a target heading which represents the heading value reached by the aircraft at the end of a procedure of folding the wings of the aircraft flat from a current operating state. The mode transition triggering system receives the target heading and compares the target heading to a desired heading to be reached by the airplane to assist with triggering a transition between a rolling angle holding mode, in which the aircraft flies with a constant rolling angle, to a heading holding mode, in which the aircraft flies with a constant heading. This device and associated methods may be used during in flight refueling operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Airbus Operations (SAS)
    Inventors: Pascale Louise, Alain Dupre, Anthony Atencia, Emmanuel Cortet, Xavier Dal Santo
  • Patent number: 8725376
    Abstract: A vehicle can be operated in a first drive mode in which a front differential is set to a non-driven state and a rear differential is set to a differential state, a second drive mode in which the front differential is set to a non-driven state and the rear differential is set to a differential locked state, a third drive mode in which the front differential is set to a differential state and the rear differential is set to a differential locked state, and a fourth drive mode in which the front differential is set to a differential locked state and the rear differential is set to a differential locked state. Transition is allowed only between adjacent drive modes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naoki Murota, Hiroyuki Fujimoto, Hiroshi Kawamura
  • Patent number: 8725382
    Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus that inhibits fuel efficiency from being aggravated as a result of ignition timing of the internal combustion engine being retarded. The vehicle control apparatus includes a drive system control unit and an engine control unit. The engine control unit adjusts an amount of intake air based on the demanded torque and adjusts ignition timing so as to compensate for any deviation between torque achievable through an adjustment of the amount of intake air and the demanded torque. The drive system control unit calculates desirable torque to be desirably output to the internal combustion engine for achieving a target operating state of the vehicle, and limits a change rate of the desirable torque by using a predetermined guard value determined from torque adjustment capacity of the internal combustion engine and outputs the desirable torque after the limiting as the demanded torque to the engine control unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shinichi Soejima, Naoto Kato, Kiyonori Takahashi
  • Patent number: 8725345
    Abstract: Industrial vehicles communicate across a wireless environment where the wireless communication, data collection and/or processing capabilities of industrial vehicles are utilized to implement dashboard functions that thread status information from detail level views, up through intermediate views and to summary level views to facilitate efficient fleet maintenance, management and control. Further, industrial vehicle data may be communicated to a trusted third party server. As such, wirelessly collected industrial vehicle information is utilized within applications that aggregate and analyze data across multiple enterprises.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Crown Equipment Corporation
    Inventors: Sergio Schulte de Oliveira, Benjamin J. Purrenhage, Philip W. Swift, David K. Tinnerman, Jeffrey C. Whitford
  • Patent number: 8725415
    Abstract: A long-term navigation method using an inertial unit associated with a system of axes X, Y, Z and mounted on a vehicle traveling relative to the Earth in order to measure its movements relative to an inertial frame of reference having axes Xi, Yi, and Zi. The method includes the steps of acting in permanent manner to measure an orientation of the system of axes X, Y, Z in the inertial frame of reference and applying a predetermined sequence of turnovers to the inertial unit in the inertial frame of reference about first and second axes that are substantially perpendicular to each other and in such a manner that at the end of the sequence the inertial unit is in a final orientation identical to its initial orientation relative to the inertial frame of reference, with the turnovers canceling within the sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Sagem Defense Securite
    Inventor: Christian Lignon
  • Patent number: 8725410
    Abstract: Provided is a motorcycle navigation apparatus that receives broadcasts from a satellite radio mounted on a motorcycle. The motorcycle navigation apparatus includes a controller, monitor and a screen switching unit. The controller is configured to control the navigation apparatus. The a monitor configured to provide, when said satellite radio receives a warning, a notification that information has been received by said satellite radio. The screen switching unit configured to switch said navigation screen to a screen that corresponds to the received information when an operator executes a predetermined operation on the controller, wherein the predetermined operation is executed upon receipt of said notification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masakuni Ando, Koichi Shimamura, Kentaro Ikegami
  • Patent number: 8725316
    Abstract: A robotic mower boundary sensing system includes a boundary driving circuit on a charging station transmitting an encoded signal on a boundary wire, a boundary sensor on a robotic mower and including an inductor receiving the encoded signal, and a vehicle control unit on the robotic mower receiving the encoded signal from the boundary sensor and decoding the signal and cross correlating the received signal to determine the distance of the boundary sensor from the boundary wire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Jeffrey S. Thompson, Craig E. Rupp
  • Patent number: 8725311
    Abstract: Vehicle including a seat in which an occupant sits during use of the vehicle and a monitoring system for monitoring the occupant in the seat. The monitoring system includes sets of electric field antennas, each including at least one antenna, a control unit connected to the antenna sets and including selectors coupled to the antennas. The selectors are controlled by the control unit to obtain signals from one or more antennas serving as receiving antennas and one or more antennas serving as sending antennas. The control unit determines which combination of sending antenna(s) and receiving antenna(s) provides a strongest signal in an expected heartbeat range and/or expected respiration range of the occupant and then monitors this combination for changes and/or deviations from a normal range of heartbeats and/or respiration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: American Vehicular Sciences, LLC
    Inventor: David S Breed
  • Patent number: 8725293
    Abstract: A control device for a robot including: a hybrid dynamics calculator calculating joint forces that act on immovable joints and the joint accelerations that are generated at movable joints by performing a hybrid dynamics calculation that includes inverse dynamics and forward dynamics using an auxiliary model in which the actuated joints of the robot having the actuated joints and the unactuated joints are immovable; a forward dynamics calculator calculating the acceleration that is generated by known force that acts on the robot using a main model; a joint force determination unit determining the joint force; and a joint force controller controlling the joint force of each joint of the robot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Kenichiro Nagasaka
  • Patent number: 8725342
    Abstract: Methods and devices for controlling a vehicle in an autonomous mode are disclosed. In one aspect, an example method is disclosed that includes obtaining lane information that provides an estimated location of a lane of a road on which a vehicle is traveling. The example method further includes determining that the lane information has become unavailable or unreliable and, in response, using a sensor to monitor a first distance and a second distance between the vehicle and a neighboring vehicle, determining first and second relative positions of the neighboring vehicle based on the first and second distances, respectively, and, based on the first and second relative positions, determining an estimated path of the neighboring vehicle. The example method further includes, based on the estimated path, determining an updated estimated location of the lane, and controlling the vehicle based on the updated estimated location of the lane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: David I. Ferguson, Dmitri Dolgov
  • Patent number: 8718935
    Abstract: An initialization system for a personal navigation system associated with a user, including: a first reference point arrangement configured for communication with the personal navigation system of the user and to facilitate the generation of a first user data set including horizontal position and azimuth angle (x1, y1, ?1); a second reference point arrangement configured for communication with the personal navigation system of the user and to facilitate the generation of a second user data set including horizontal position and azimuth angle (x2, y2, ?2); and at least one control device configured to determine a common coordinate system based at least in part upon the first user data set and the second user data set. An initialization process and arrangement are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: MSA Technology, LLC
    Inventors: Paul A. Miller, Thomas Trautzsch
  • Patent number: 8718839
    Abstract: An automatic trim system and method is disclosed for automatically trimming a flight control surface of an aircraft. A force sensor measures a force applied by a pilot to a flight control system actuator. The length of time that the force is applied by the pilot is then timed by a timer. A trim system to reduce the applied force is included on the flight control surfaces. A processor determines if trim is required if a predetermined amount of time is exceeded based on the force sensor measurement. The processor can set the trim system to the trim required therein. An airspeed sensor is used to verify that the aircraft has sufficient speed for flight. A force sensor can be utilized to measure the input force being applied by the pilot. If a pilot input force is applied to the controls and the aircraft is in a steady state, a timer can be activated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Evolved Aircraft Systems, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Michael Louis Everett, Louis Jackson Everett, Mario Ruiz, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8718927
    Abstract: Repairing GPS data is disclosed. Repairing GPS data includes repairing an effort, comprising determining that the effort includes inaccurate GPS data; and adjusting the effort using a repaired base map. Repairing GPs data includes repairing a segment, comprising determining an inaccurate shape data in the segment; and adjusting shape data for the segment based on a repaired base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Strava, Inc.
    Inventors: Davis Kitchel, Brian Riordan
  • Patent number: 8718926
    Abstract: An electronic direction system accesses navigation data describing at least one instance in which a direction was missed during provision of electronic navigation along a route and tracks instances in which directions have been missed based on the accessed navigation data. The electronic direction system accounts for the tracked instances in which directions have been missed in handling provision of future directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Inventor: Jason Adam Denise
  • Patent number: 8718924
    Abstract: The present invention relates to apparatus and method for road guidance using a mobile terminal. The method for road guidance using a mobile terminal includes receiving a map image created by a users input, setting at least one user-designated location to the map image according to the users input, setting location information of the user-designated location to the user-designated location, comparing the location information of the user-designated location with current location information of the mobile terminal; and notifying of arrival at the user-designated location. A user may arrive at a desired destination according to the present invention without using map data provided by a map data service provider.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hee Won Kim, Yee Eun Yoon, Yu Ran Kim, Jee Yeun Wang, Min Hwa Jung