Patents by Inventor John P. Blanks

John P. Blanks 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).

  • Patent number: 11970111
    Abstract: A vehicular exterior rearview mirror assembly includes a mounting arm and a mirror head at one end of the mounting arm distal from an attachment portion of the mounting arm that is configured for attachment at a vehicle. A mirror reflective element is fixedly attached at the mirror head. An innermost side of the mirror reflective element is attached at a front side of an attachment plate. The mirror reflective element moves in tandem with movement of the mirror head relative to the mounting arm when the driver of the vehicle operates an electrically-operable actuator. The attachment plate includes wall structure that extends from the front side of the attachment plate and circumscribes and spans the perimeter circumferential edge of the glass substrate and does not encroach onto and does not overlap the front surface of the glass substrate of the exterior mirror reflective element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: MAGNA MIRRORS OF AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: John T. Uken, Darryl P. De Wind, Keith D. Foote, Joseph M. Mambourg, Rodney K. Blank, Mark L. Larson, Niall R. Lynam
  • Patent number: 11970113
    Abstract: A vehicular vision system includes a forward-viewing camera located behind and viewing through a vehicle windshield, a rearward-viewing camera located at a rear of the vehicle, and a common image processor operable for processing captured image data. A video display screen is located within the interior cabin of the vehicle viewable by a driver of the vehicle. The common image processor processes first image data captured by the forward-viewing camera to detect at least one vehicle present exterior the equipped vehicle. Responsive to the vehicle being shifted into a reverse gear and while the driver is executing a reversing maneuver, video images derived from image data captured by at least the rearward-viewing camera are displayed by the video display screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Magna Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew D. Weller, Mark L. Larson, Ian A. McCabe, Niall R. Lynam, Rodney K. Blank, Joseph P. McCaw, John T. Uken
  • Patent number: 11932169
    Abstract: A vehicular exterior rearview mirror control system is configured to attach at a side of a vehicle and includes a mirror assembly having a variable reflectance mirror reflective element. The vehicular rearview mirror control system processes image data captured by a rear backup camera of the vehicle. The rearview mirror control system, via processing a first subset of image data captured by the rear backup camera, determines ambient light rearward of the vehicle. The rearview mirror control system, via processing a second subset of received image data captured by the rear backup camera, determines glare light emanating from a headlight of another vehicle following the equipped vehicle. The first subset of captured image data is different than the second subset of captured image data. A door module unit of the vehicle controls dimming of the variable reflectance mirror reflective element based at least in part on the determined glare light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Magna Mirrors of America, Inc.
    Inventors: John T. Uken, Darryl P. De Wind, Gregory A. Huizen, Rodney K. Blank
  • Publication number: 20020016704
    Abstract: An adjoint network method is used to determine the sensitivity of an electronic circuit model to variations in circuit components. The effects of nonlinear circuit elements are represented by augmenting the elements of the adjoint network. In particular, deviations away from linearity are represented in the original circuit by “fictitious” voltage sources. These voltage sources will map into “fictitious” current sources in the adjoint network. These sources are not static; they are directly proportional to the adjoint current through the branch corresponding to the nonlinear element. As such they may be classified as current-controlled current sources and are sometimes referred to as “correction” sources.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2001
    Publication date: February 7, 2002
    Inventor: John P. Blanks