Patents by Inventor Benny Vann

Benny Vann has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20150105974
    Abstract: A snow plow blade detection and compensation system and method operable to detect when a plow blade is attached to the vehicle and then, when the driver is in plowing mode, take appropriate compensating actions. The systems and methods may include: (1) computer vision based recognition of plow blade position, wherein object recognition from a forward looking camera and computer vision system may be installed on the vehicle to recognize that the plow blade is in the down position; (2) proximity sensing system indicating that the plow blade is down, wherein multiple sensors may be used to indicate that the plow blade position is down; (3) direct input of plowing status, wherein vehicle Interfaces indicate that a plow mode is active; (4) drive pattern recognition; and/or (5) audio recognition, wherein microphones detect sound characteristics of “scraping” sounds, inferring that the plow blade is on the ground and pushing snow.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2013
    Publication date: April 16, 2015
    Applicant: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Robert Bruce Kleve, John Robert VanWiemeersch, Anthony Pupin, Todd Ansbacker, John Lee, Louis C. Gmoser, Benny Vann
  • Patent number: 8983717
    Abstract: A camera system and method of assisting a driver of vehicle for off-road mode use is provided. The camera system includes one or more cameras located on the vehicle to generate images of ground near the vehicle. The generated images are displayed to the driver when the vehicle is detected to be operating off-road and are prevented from being displayed when not off-road. A steering wheel direction indicator may also be displayed to the driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Anthony Pupin, Maher Ghneim, Thomas Richard Wroblewski, Hermann J. Salenbauch, Benny Vann, Noah Barlow Mass, Kerry Peter Baldori
  • Publication number: 20120158243
    Abstract: A camera system and method of assisting a driver of vehicle for off-road mode use is provided. The camera system includes one or more cameras located on the vehicle to generate images of ground near the vehicle. The generated images are displayed to the driver when the vehicle is detected to be operating off-road and are prevented from being displayed when not off-road. A steering wheel direction indicator may also be displayed to the driver.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2010
    Publication date: June 21, 2012
    Inventors: Anthony Pupin, Maher Ghneim, Thomas Richard Wroblewski, Hermann J. Salenbauch, Benny Vann, Noah Barlow Mass, Kerry Peter Baldori
  • Patent number: 5136517
    Abstract: A mass airflow based control system for an internal combustion engine is provided which is capable of inferring barometric pressure surrounding the engine. The control system determines the air charge going into the engine from a measured value of mass airflow, and compares this value with a predicted value of air charge going into the engine, which the control system infers. Differences between the two values are first attributed to inlet air temperature, which is measured, and then to a change in barometric pressure, which is the inferred barometric pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 1990
    Date of Patent: August 4, 1992
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Michael J. Cullen, John F. Armitage, Benny Vann
  • Patent number: 5029569
    Abstract: A mass airflow based control system is provided for an internal combustion engine including a throttle body and an air bypass valve. The system comprises a processor for determining a first value equal to predicted air charge inducted into the engine through the throttle valve, and includes memory for storing an initial value of a ratio of predicted current air charge inducted into the engine to predicted peak air charge capable of being inducted into the engine. The processor determines a second value equal to predicted air charge inducted into the engine through the air bypass valve based on the initial value, and determines a third value equal to predicted peak air charge capable of being inducted into the engine. The processor further determines an actual value of the ratio of predicted current air charge inducted into the engine to predicted peak air charge capable of being inducted into the engine based on the first, second and third values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 1990
    Date of Patent: July 9, 1991
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Michael J. Cullen, Benny Vann, Jeffry A. Greenberg