Patents by Inventor Jeffrey Wallat

Jeffrey Wallat 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).

  • Trailer lane departure warning system
    Patent number: 9373044
    Abstract: A lane departure warning system has a trailer detector for detecting that a trailer is attached to a vehicle, a lane boundary detector for detecting a position of a lane boundary on a roadway over which the vehicle is travelling, and an information processor including a calibrator for generating calibration parameters used in determining an unintended lane departure event with respect to the lane boundary. The information processor initiates a process for allowing an operator to provide trailer width information when the trailer detector indicates that the vehicle is towing a trailer. The lane departure warning system also includes a sensor for detecting a hitch angle between the vehicle and the trailer. A controller determines a lateral offset of the trailer relative to the vehicle based on the hitch angle and a length of the trailer for generating a warning signal when the lateral offset crosses the lane boundary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Jeffrey Wallat, John Robert Van Wiemeersch, Steven Yellin Schondorf, Brian Bennie, Timothy Prodin, Brian Wolski
  • TRAILER LANE DEPARTURE WARNING SYSTEM
    Publication number: 20140176716
    Abstract: A lane departure warning system has a trailer detector for detecting that a trailer is attached to a vehicle, a lane boundary detector for detecting a position of a lane boundary on a roadway over which the vehicle is travelling, and an information processor including a calibrator for generating calibration parameters used in determining an unintended lane departure event with respect to the lane boundary. The information processor initiates a process for allowing an operator to provide trailer width information when the trailer detector indicates that the vehicle is towing a trailer. The lane departure warning system also includes a sensor for detecting a hitch angle between the vehicle and the trailer. A controller determines a lateral offset of the trailer relative to the vehicle based on the hitch angle and a length of the trailer for generating a warning signal when the lateral offset crosses the lane boundary.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2014
    Publication date: June 26, 2014
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Jeffrey Wallat, John Robert Van Wiemeersch, Steven Yellin Schondorf, Brian Bennie, Timothy Prodin, Brian Wolski
  • Width calibration of lane departure warning system
    Patent number: 8665078
    Abstract: A lane departure warning system has a trailer detector for detecting that a trailer is attached to a vehicle, a lane boundary detector for detecting a position of a lane boundary on a roadway over which the vehicle is travelling, and an information processor including a calibrator for generating calibration parameters used in determining an unintended lane departure event with respect to the lane boundary. The information processor initiates a process for allowing a vehicle operator to provide trailer width information when the trailer detector indicates that the vehicle has the trailer attached thereto. The trailer width information is used by the information processor for generating the calibration parameters as a function of a width of the trailer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies
    Inventors: John Robert Van Wiemeersch, Jeffrey Wallat, Brian Bennie, Steven Yellin Schondorf, Brian Wolski, Timothy Prodin
  • WIDTH CALIBRATION OF LANE DEPARTURE WARNING SYSTEM
    Publication number: 20130027195
    Abstract: A lane departure warning system has a trailer detector for detecting that a trailer is attached to a vehicle, a lane boundary detector for detecting a position of a lane boundary on a roadway over which the vehicle is travelling, and an information processor including a calibrator for generating calibration parameters used in determining an unintended lane departure event with respect to the lane boundary. The information processor initiates a process for allowing a vehicle operator to provide trailer width information when the trailer detector indicates that the vehicle has the trailer attached thereto. The trailer width information is used by the information processor for generating the calibration parameters as a function of a width of the trailer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2011
    Publication date: January 31, 2013
    Inventors: John Robert Van Wiemeersch, Jeffrey Wallat, Brian Bennie, Steven Yellin Schondorf, Brian Wolski, Timothy Prodin