Patents Examined by Yuen H Wong
  • Patent number: 10137858
    Abstract: In a vehicle-mounted device, a first time period measuring unit starts measurement of a first time period when detecting an exit movement of a user. Before an elapse of the first time period, a vehicle side transmission unit periodically transmits a response request signal at a predetermined transmission period; and a locking and unlocking control unit keeps a door unlocked while receiving a response signal, locks the door when incapable of receiving the response signal, and keeps the door unlocked when capable of receiving the response signal at the elapse of the first time period. After the first time period is elapsed, the vehicle side transmission unit periodically transmits the response request signal at a second time period; and the locking and unlocking control unit keeps the door unlocked while receiving the response signal, and locks the door when incapable of receiving the response signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Koji Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 10131354
    Abstract: A vehicle includes an engine. The vehicle includes a controller configured to start a timer having a duration defined by a charge limit of a traction battery and during which the engine braking is maintained and reduce a predetermined rate of change speed limit of the engine is reduced. The starting of the timer is responsive to application of an accelerator pedal during engine braking. The controller is further configured to increase the predetermined rate of change speed limit such that engine braking is predicted based on the limit of the battery, responsive to application of an accelerator pedal during engine braking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Carol Louise Okubo, Kent Hancock, Jacob Doan, Bryan Whitney D. Belt
  • Patent number: 10126138
    Abstract: Embodiments provide techniques, including systems and methods, for determining curb segments within a threshold boundary of a transport request location, which when evaluated with respect to travel time, among other factors, result in travel efficiencies over the original transport request location. For example, a curb identification system uses building perimeter edges and road parameters to determine curb segments, which are stored as curb segment data. The curb segment data is used to identify alternate request locations corresponding to an original request location, such as being with a radius or boundary. A time for a requestor to travel from the original request location to the alternate request location is evaluated with regard to travel time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: LYFT, INC.
    Inventors: Rob Farmer, Snir Kodesh, Matthew Ezra Leventi
  • Patent number: 10126739
    Abstract: The disclosure concerns a control device for the remote control of a motor vehicle including a display device for visualizing the surroundings of the motor vehicle detected by motor vehicle sensors of the motor vehicle, and a motor vehicle symbol in a surrounding area of the motor vehicle. An input device inputs a desired parking position within the detected surrounding area of the motor vehicle by displacement of the motor vehicle symbol that is represented on the display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Urs Christen, Timothy C. Bettger, Thomas Rambow, Uwe Gussen, Georg Neugebauer, Julian David Pott, Nadja Wysietzki
  • Patent number: 10124751
    Abstract: An Electronic Control Unit (ECU) includes a diagnosis control request calculator, a power controller, a vehicle behavior monitor and the like. The ECU performs an auto-drive of a vehicle, during which a vehicle power source is controlled by the ECU for improving a rate achieve ratio of a fault diagnosis item. The ECU obtains vehicle information from a drive support ECU, a navigation device and the like. The ECU performs a control for improving a rate achieve ratio during the auto-drive. The ECU ranks the diagnosis items by the rate achieve ratios, i.e., from a low achiever diagnosis item toward a high achiever diagnosis item. The rate achieve ratio of the low achiever diagnosis item is improved by the ECU, by changing a controllable-state detection condition within a detection condition range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yuuichi Murase
  • Patent number: 10118607
    Abstract: A computing device implemented method includes receiving one or more signals that represent an angular speed of a permanent magnet electric motor of a hybrid electric vehicle, the one or more signals being provided by an angular sensor connected to the electric motor, receiving a signal representing a voltage from the electric motor, the voltage being a direct axis voltage component of a three-phase motor model, determining if the angular speed is within a predetermined threshold, calculating an error angle representing a correction factor for an alignment of the electric motor based on a ratio of the voltage and the angular speed, storing the correction factor, and determining a binary indication of a status of error angle, and repeating the steps until the binary indication is positive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: XL Hybrids
    Inventors: Edward Lovelace, Neal Ennis Brenner
  • Patent number: 10102695
    Abstract: A method for wire connectivity testing includes receiving wiring data indicating at least a length of a wire segment of a vehicle from a design database. The method further includes receiving spread-spectrum time-domain reflectometry (SSTDR) data associated with the wire segment from an SSTDR device coupled to an endpoint of the wire segment. The method also includes calculating a distance-to-fault based on the SSTDR data. The method includes comparing the distance-to-fault to the length of the wire segment. The method further includes, in response to the distance-to-fault being less than the length of the wire segment, generating fault data indicating a failure within the wire segment. The method also includes sending the fault data to a user output device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY
    Inventors: Brandon M. Courter, Nam V. Ngo, Scott C. Farner, Joseph M. Dray, Terrance Lee Thomas
  • Patent number: 10098796
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a roll-in cot may include a support frame, a pair of back legs, a pair of front legs, and a cot actuation system. The pair of back legs and the pair of front legs can be slidingly coupled to the support frame. Each of the pair of front legs can include a front wheel and an intermediate load wheel. The intermediate load wheel is offset from the front wheel by a load wheel distance. A front actuator can raise the pair of front legs such that the front wheel and the intermediate load wheel of each of the pair of front legs are aligned along a loading level. The intermediate load wheel of each of the pair of front legs can be offset from the pair of back legs by a loading span. The load wheel distance can be greater than the loading span.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: Ferno-Washington, Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas V. Valentino, Matthew Palastro, Zhen Y. Shen, Timothy R. Wells, Timothy Paul Schroeder, Joshua James Markham, Robert L. Potak
  • Patent number: 10098290
    Abstract: A double cut control system and method are disclosed for a felling head having a saw disc. The felling head may be positioned by a knuckle boom, which includes a hoist boom and a stick boom coupled by a knuckle and positioned by hydraulic cylinders actuated by a hydraulic pump and hydraulic control valves. The control system has an operator input device for input of operator commands including a double cut control input command. Position sensors provide position values for the knuckle boom and the felling head. At least one controller receives the operator commands and position values. After receiving the double cut control input command, the controller generates a first cut control signal to direct flow of hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic cylinders to position the knuckle boom to advance the felling head in a single fore-aft direction a set distance corresponding to a partial depth cut.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: DEERE & COMPANY
    Inventor: Jonathan R. Hunt
  • Patent number: 10094696
    Abstract: A method of monitoring a vehicle includes monitoring a precollision fuel level, detecting a collision event, and detecting a vehicle orientation based at least on the precollision fuel level and a postcollision fuel level. The method can be executed by a controller having a processor and a memory storing processor-executable instructions where the processor is programmed to monitor the precollision fuel level, detect the collision event, and detect the vehicle orientation based on at least a precollision fuel level and a postcollision fuel level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventor: Aed M. Dudar
  • Patent number: 10094933
    Abstract: A navigation system for use on an automated vehicle includes a global-positioning-system-receiver (GPS-receiver), a vehicle-to-vehicle-transceiver (V2V-transceiver), an object-detector, and a controller. The GPS-receiver indicates a receiver-coordinate of a host-vehicle. The receiver-coordinate is characterized by a receiver-error. The V2V-transceiver receives a GPS-coordinate from each of a plurality of other-vehicles proximate to the host-vehicle. The object-detector determines a distance and a direction relative to the host-vehicle to each of the plurality of other-vehicles. The controller is in communication with the GPS-receiver, the V2V-transceiver, and the object-detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Guchan Ozbilgin
  • Patent number: 10092849
    Abstract: A hover-control method for multirotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) upcast at any angle to take off is applied to correct at least one tilt angle of the multirotor UAV by dual-feedback schemes. When any of the at least one tilt angle is greater than a corresponding angle limitation, an open feedback scheme is executed to drive a plurality of motors of the multirotor UAV until a predetermined condition is achieved. When all of the at least one tilt angle are not larger than the respective angle limitations, a negative feedback scheme is executed to drive the motors of the multirotor UAV until a hover condition is achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: WISTRON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Zhen-Te Liu, Yu-Yen Chen
  • Patent number: 10089868
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method of using telematics data at a destination device is provided. The destination device may be a mobile device associated with a driver, or a smart vehicle controller of a destination vehicle. The telematics data is generated by an originating mobile device (i) having a Telematics Application (or “App”), and (ii) associated with a second driver/vehicle, the telematics data including acceleration, braking, speed, heading, and location data associated with an originating vehicle. The telematics data may be broadcast from the originating mobile device to the destination device that (a) analyzes the telematics data received, (b) determines that an abnormal travel condition exists, and (c) automatically take corrective action that alleviates a negative impact of the abnormal travel condition on the destination vehicle to facilitate safer travel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: STATE FARM MUTUAL AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE COMPANY
    Inventor: Gregory L. Hayward
  • Patent number: 10062221
    Abstract: A system is configured to produce an alarm when wheel misalignment of a vehicle occurs. The system includes: a navigation device; a lane change detector configured to detect lane change frequency information of the vehicle; a driving information detector configured to detect vehicle speed information and brake frequency information; a steering wheel rotation angle detector configured to detect a rotation angle of a steering wheel; and a controller deriving a criterion based on the rotation angle, for determining whether or not the vehicle travels straight by receiving from the navigation device, the lane change detector, the driving information detector, and the steering wheel rotation angle detector, information necessary to determine whether or not the vehicle travels straight, the controller transmitting an alarm signal to a driver when a current rotation angle of the steering wheel detected by the steering wheel rotation angle detector fails to satisfy the criterion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventor: Tae Young Yu
  • Patent number: 10059324
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle including a front motor for driving front wheels, a rear motor for driving rear wheels, and a step-up converter for stepping-up the voltage from a battery and supplying power to the front motor, in which an engine is started to shift the vehicle from an EV mode into a series mode when the output power of the step-up converter is lower than the required power of the front motor, the hybrid vehicle includes a hybrid control unit which computes maximum output power of the step-up converter and, when the output power of the step-up converter is more than the maximum output power, increases the distribution ratio of the travel driving torque of the rear wheel, thereby increasing the output torque of the rear motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI JIDOSHA KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ryo Shimizu, Norihiko Ikoma, Makoto Kamachi, Hironori Abe, Naoki Miyamoto
  • Patent number: 10055982
    Abstract: A mobile device configured to receive telematics data from another vehicle when the mobile device is traveling in a moving vehicle and take corrective action when a travel event exists may be provided. The mobile device may receive telematics data associated with an originating vehicle, analyze the telematics data, and determine or identify that a travel event associated with the originating vehicle exists and, when the travel event is determined to exist, determine whether the travel event is relevant to the moving vehicle or a route that the moving vehicle is presently traveling, and if so, direct corrective action such that safer vehicle travel for the moving vehicle is facilitated based upon the telematics data that is collected by the originating vehicle. An insurance provider may collect an insured's usage of the vehicle safety functionality to calculate, update, and/or adjust insurance premiums, rates, discounts, points, or programs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: STATE FARM MUTUAL AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE COMPANY
    Inventor: Gregory L. Hayward
  • Patent number: 10053218
    Abstract: A system for positioning an unmanned aerial vehicle is provided including a position reference system including an electromagnetic radiation transmitter configured to modulate a transmission signal to encode location information associated with a coordinate system relative to the electromagnetic radiation transmitter. The system further includes an unmanned aerial vehicle including at least one control device configured to control a position of the unmanned aerial vehicle and an electromagnetic radiation receiver configured to receive the transmission signal. The unmanned aerial vehicle further includes a control system configured to control the at least one control device based at least in part on the location information received by the electromagnetic radiation receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Michael Steven Feldmann, Michael Joseph Dell'Anno, Mauricio Castillo-Effen, James Gerard Lopez, Frank Saggio, III, William J. Berendsen
  • Patent number: 10055985
    Abstract: A system of broadcasting information related to hazards impacting vehicle travel may include a mobile device configured to: (1) mount within a vehicle dashboard cradle so that the mobile device is positioned to take images forward of a vehicle; (2) collect telematics data, with customer permission or affirmative consent, when the vehicle is moving, including GPS location, speed, heading, lane, braking, cornering, acceleration, and/or route data of the vehicle; (3) generate an alert based upon the telematics data and the images, and/or broadcast data including the images and the telematics data; and/or (4) broadcast the alert and/or the data collected to (a) a nearby vehicle(s) and/or (b) a smart infrastructure component(s) to facilitate warning of hazards upon the nearby vehicle(s) and/or the smart infrastructure component(s) receiving and processing the alert and/or the broadcasted data. Insurance discounts may be generated based upon the risk mitigation or prevention functionality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: STATE FARM MUTUAL AUTOMOTIVE INSURANCE COMPANY
    Inventor: Gregory Hayward
  • Patent number: 10054453
    Abstract: A computer system configured to use train telematics data to reduce risk of accidents via a mobile device traveling within a vehicle may be provided. The mobile device may be configured to (1) receive train telematics data associated with a train that includes GPS location, speed, route, heading, acceleration, and/or track data; (2) determine when, or a time period of when, the train will pass through, be passing through, or be within a predetermined distance of a railroad crossing based upon the train telematics data; (3) determine an alternate route for the vehicle to take to avoid waiting at the railroad crossing; and (4) cause display of the alternate route on a display of the mobile device or a vehicle navigation system to allow the train to pass and to avoid train-vehicle collisions. Insurance discounts may be generated based upon the risk mitigation or prevention functionality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: STATE FARM MUTUAL AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE COMPANY
    Inventor: Gregory Hayward
  • Patent number: 10057312
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method of generating and broadcasting telematics and/or image data is provided. Telematics and/or image data may be collected, with customer permission, in real-time by a mobile device (or a Telematics App running thereon) traveling within an originating vehicle. The telematics data may include acceleration, braking, speed, heading, and location data associated with the originating vehicle. The mobile device may generate an updated telematics data broadcast including up-to-date telematics data at least every few seconds; and then broadcast the updated telematics data broadcast at least every few seconds via wireless communication to another computing device to facilitate alerting another vehicle or driver of an abnormal traffic condition or event that the originating vehicle is experiencing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: STATE FARM MUTUAL AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE COMPANY
    Inventor: Gregory L. Hayward