Patents Examined by Thomas Tarcza
  • Patent number: 9557177
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a multi-sensor merging based super-close distance autonomous navigation apparatus and method. The apparatus includes a sensor subsystem, an information merging subsystem, a sensor scanning structure, and an orientation guiding structure, wherein a visible light imaging sensor and an infrared imaging sensor are combined together, and data are acquired by combining a passive measurement mode composed of an optical imaging sensor and an active measurement mode composed of a laser distance measuring sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Huazhong University of Science and Technology
    Inventors: Tianxu Zhang, Sufei Fan, Yimeng Chen, Heng Yao, Zhengtao Li, Zheng Wang, Wei Huang, Zhenghua Huang
  • Patent number: 9558657
    Abstract: A controller receives probe data from a vehicle traveling on a path segment. The probe data may be collected by a mobile device. The path segment may be a multilane roadway. The controller identifies a first lane of the path segment from the probe data. The controller associated a forked route with the first lane of the path segment. The controller calculates different traffic values for the lanes of the path segment. One traffic value may be calculated directly from speeds derived from the path data. Another traffic value may be calculated by the probe data and a historical relationship.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: HERE Global B.V.
    Inventors: James Adeyemi Fowe, Gavril Giurgiu, Michael Finn, Leon Oliver Stenneth
  • Patent number: 9558673
    Abstract: Improving automated package delivery to mobile delivery receptacles to allow accurate and reliable package deliveries comprises a delivery receptacle for an automated package delivery via an unmanned aerial delivery device. The delivery receptacle is notified of a pending delivery and travels to a receiving location. The delivery receptacle emits infrared (“IR”) beacons from one or more IR beacon transmitters. An aerial delivery device detects the IR beacon and uses the beacons to navigate to the delivery receptacle. The delivery receptacle receives IR beacon responses from the aerial delivery device and continually or periodically directs the IR beacons in the direction of the aerial delivery device. The aerial delivery device deposits the package in the delivery receptacle. After receiving the package, the delivery receptacle transports the package to a secure location, such as into a garage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Varun Soundararajan, Anurag Agrawal
  • Patent number: 9558597
    Abstract: A vehicle system includes a processing device programmed to monitor an operating state of a vehicle and the operation of at least one subsystem module. Depending on the operating state of the vehicle, the processing device can detect a subsystem module failure. If a failure is detected, the processing device can perform a remedial action. The remedial action taken may be based on the type of failure detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Mahmoud Yousef Ghannam, Jayagopal Appukutty, Abraham G. Philip, David James Tippy
  • Patent number: 9551583
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide efficient and dynamic systems and methods for building a hybrid road network and grid based spatial temporal index to handle big trajectory data. Embodiments of the present invention can be used to satisfy the issue of low indexing and compression rate of big trajectory data, and to improve the efficiency of index queries, while also providing a mechanism to account for missing road links in a map.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ning Duan, Peng Gao, Peng Ji, Xiao Bo Li, Zhi Hu Wang, Jun Zhu
  • Patent number: 9550501
    Abstract: A vehicle system comprises an interface assembly and a controller both on board a first rail vehicle. The interface assembly comprises one or more mechanical couplers, fuel couplers, fluid couplers, and electrical connectors, to detachably couple the first rail vehicle to a separate, adjacent fuel tender vehicle, for the transfer of one or more of fuel (e.g., compressed natural gas) from the fuel tender vehicle to the first rail vehicle, heated fluid from the first rail vehicle to the fuel tender vehicle (e.g., for regasification of liquid natural gas stored in the fuel tender vehicle to the compressed natural gas), or electrical power and/or control signals between the first rail vehicle and the fuel tender vehicle. The controller is configured to at least partially control operations of the first rail vehicle in relation to interfacing with the fuel tender vehicle for fuel transfer, heated fluid transfer, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Lamar K. Ledbetter, Kevin M. Fisher, Jared K. Cooper
  • Patent number: 9551586
    Abstract: A contextual description of the arrival location can be determined based on individual or combined attributes, which include (i) a text-based identifier of one or more of the multiple places, and (ii) a spatial relationship as between one or more of the places, or as between the multiple places and the arrival location. The contextual description can be provided for a navigation interface of a computing device used by the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Fei Guo
  • Patent number: 9550479
    Abstract: An apparatus for controlling a brake of a tractor towing a trailer includes a trailer sensor for sensing whether or not the trailer is mounted at the tractor, an auxiliary brake driver for driving an auxiliary brake of the tractor, a main brake driver for driving main brakes of the tractor and the trailer, and a controller for setting a ratio of braking force of the auxiliary brake to a reference value with respect to a required braking force from a smart cruise control (SCC) system and allocating the remaining required braking force to the main brakes of the tractor and the trailer in the case in which the trailer sensor senses that the trailer is mounted at the tractor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA MOTORS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Dong Hyuk Kim
  • Patent number: 9550522
    Abstract: A system and method for limiting a turning speed of a compactor is disclosed. The compactor includes a steering member configured to receive operator steering input. The system may comprise a speed sensor, and a controller in communication with the speed sensor. The speed sensor may be mounted on the compactor and configured to measure a travel speed of the compactor over a surface. In some embodiments, a temperature sensor, configured to measure a temperature of the surface, may be mounted on the compactor and in communication with the controller. The controller is configured to receive the travel speed and/or temperature, and to limit a turning speed of the compactor when a condition is satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Caterpillar Paving Products Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas Alan Oetken, John Lee Marsolek
  • Patent number: 9550478
    Abstract: A control method for a hill start assistant control system may include determining that the vehicle is stopped and braked; receiving a current sensing value from an acceleration sensor on the vehicle which senses acceleration and periodically outputs a sensing value with the vehicle stopped and braked; determining whether a condition for stabilizing an output of the acceleration sensor is satisfied, using the current sensing value and a previous sensing value; finding an acceleration accumulation average by accumulating the current sensing value and averaging sensing values of the acceleration sensor which are accumulated up to a current time when the condition for stabilizing the output of the acceleration sensor is not satisfied; comparing the acceleration accumulation average with an accumulation reference value; and operating the hill start assistant control system, when the acceleration accumulation average is larger than the acceleration reference value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventor: Hyo Tae Kim
  • Patent number: 9546881
    Abstract: A control method of a server is provided. Location information is extracted from photographed data. The photographed data is linked to a course of travel having a pre-stored street image, by applying a predetermined standard based on the extracted location information. The photographed data is provided together with the linked course of travel having the pre-stored street image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Woo-Yong Chang, Seung-dong Yu, Se-jun Park, Min-jeong Moon
  • Patent number: 9545922
    Abstract: Disclosed is a system that creates a lane model using a lane offset value and a lane heading angle and assists a vehicle in keeping its lane by using the lane model. More specifically, the system may include: a camera that obtains an image of the road; an image analyzing unit that detects lane markings by analyzing the image and calculates and stores the lane offset value from the detected lane markings; a radar that detects the position of the preceding vehicle; a preceding vehicle analyzing unit that calculates a preceding vehicle heading angle between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle; and a controller that, if the lane markings are blocked, applies the preceding vehicle heading angle to the lane heading angle to thereby create the lane model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: MANDO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Sang Kyun Sim
  • Patent number: 9545930
    Abstract: A system to access one or more user profiles that govern one or more vehicle functions. The system cooperates with a processor and verification module which are adapted to verify, using one or more of biometric information, gesture recognition, facial recognition and device identification information, that a user has authority to access the one or more user profiles, where the one or more profiles are stored in one or more of a vehicle, a cloud and a communications device. An edit module is further provided and adapted to allow the user to make one or more edits to the one or more user profiles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: AutoConnect Holdings LLC
    Inventor: Christopher P. Ricci
  • Patent number: 9541405
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a mobile terminal capable of providing POI information suitable to user environments and a control method thereof, and a mobile terminal according to the embodiments of the present disclosure may include a display unit configured to display map data; and a controller configured to detect user preference information associated with a place from the plurality of communication terminals, detect POI information from a server, detect candidate POI information based on the detected POI information and the user preference information, detect representative POI information from the candidate POI information based on user schedule information, and display the representative POI information on the map data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Sooyeon An, Jeongeun Shin, Seungman Kim, Mingoo Kim, Kwangjae Lee
  • Patent number: 9541416
    Abstract: A map display controller includes an operation portion that is operated in a predetermined operation range, an operation detecting unit that detects an operation on the operation portion, a reaction force generating unit that applies a reaction force against a change in position of the operation portion to the operation portion when an operation in which the position of the operation portion is changed to pass over a predetermined area in the operation range in a predetermined direction is performed, and a control unit that switches a display mode of a map display displayed on a display device when it is detected from the detection result of the operation detecting unit that the position of the operation portion passes over the predetermined area in the predetermined direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hitoshi Kumon
  • Patent number: 9533579
    Abstract: An electronic control apparatus controls am electrically-driven vehicle, which has no engine but has only a motor supplied with electric power from an electric power supply source. The electronic control apparatus has a self-diagnosis function for storing an abnormality code corresponding to a diagnosis object when abnormality of the diagnosis object is detected. The electronic control apparatus checks whether the motor and the electric power supply source are operating normally when a power control switch is turned on under a state that the abnormality code is stored in a memory. The electronic control apparatus checks whether abnormality is detected again in the diagnosis object, the abnormality code of which has already been stored, when the motor and the electric power supply source are operating normally. The electronic control unit erases the abnormality code when no abnormality is detected again.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Syunsuke Nomura
  • Patent number: 9533574
    Abstract: Disclosed is a speed control system for a curved road section, which includes: a wireless communication module that supports communication with road-side units and receives road information from the road-side units for a plurality of points on a curved road adjacent to the road-side units; an allowable speed calculation unit that calculates maximum allowable speeds that are the highest speeds at which a vehicle is driven, for the plurality of points, using the road information; an optimum speed calculation unit that calculates an optimum speed in an acceleration and deceleration range that is set in consideration of a predetermined acceleration and deceleration limit of the vehicle; and a control module that displays the optimum speed calculated by the optimum speed calculation unit to the outside, or provides the calculated optimum speed to another control system in the vehicle such that the speed of the vehicle is controlled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: MANDO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Man Bok Park, Sang Hyun Lee
  • Patent number: 9533675
    Abstract: A method for controlling the battery of a mild hybrid vehicle, according to an embodiment of the present invention, includes: a first step of detecting the traffic conditions based on the driving state of the vehicle; and a second step of adjusting the target SOC of an energy storage device based on the detected traffic conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: MANDO CORPORATION
    Inventor: In Gyu Jang
  • Patent number: 9527387
    Abstract: An electric motor control unit for controlling the operation of an electric motor. The unit comprises: an electric motor controller comprising a processor having at least one input and at least one output, wherein an output of the processor is coupled to a power provider for controlling power to an electric motor; a tilt accelerometer system comprising a tilt accelerometer for determining a measure of the tilt of the electric motor unit relative to a reference orientation, wherein the tilt accelerometer system comprises an output for providing a signal based on the determined measure of the tilt; wherein the output of the tilt accelerometer system is coupled to an input of the processor of the electric motor controller; wherein the power provider comprises a power output for controlling the operation of an electric motor based on the output of the tilt accelerometer system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: Sevcon Limited
    Inventor: Peter Barrass
  • Patent number: 9530322
    Abstract: A method implemented by computer for the management of the flight of an aircraft comprises the steps of receiving flight directives and flight information associated with these directives; determining a flight context of the aircraft; as a function of the context determined, selecting information from among that associated with the formulation of a directive and/or with a current flight directive and/or with a change of a flight directive; sensorially restoring the selected information. Various developments are described, notably links to documentary resources, the determination of anomalies, the use of predefined logic rules and configuration options. System aspects and software aspects are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Bertrand Caudron, Sonia Vautier, Patrick Mazoyer