Patents by Inventor Michael KOHERR
Michael KOHERR 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).
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Publication number: 20260091724Abstract: This disclosure relates generally to vehicle headlights and, more particularly, to camera-based control of the light emission angle of a vehicle headlight. An example headlight leveling apparatus includes interface circuitry, machine readable instructions, programmable circuitry to execute the machine readable instructions to based on at least one image captured by a front camera of a vehicle, determine a geometric relationship between an output light emitting direction of a headlight and a direction defining a current orientation of the front camera, determine a current pitch angle of the front camera based on images captured by the front camera, and control a vertical light emission angle of the headlight based on the geometric relationship and the current pitch angle of the front camera.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 15, 2025Publication date: April 2, 2026Inventors: Matthias Christian Reiter, Gerald Doerne, Vincent Jannick Frisch, Lars Michael Lottner, Stefan Lingscheidt, Michael Koherr
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Publication number: 20250376110Abstract: An assist system for a motor vehicle having a sensor arrangement, a lighting system for a vehicle interior compartment, which has at least one lighting element, and a control unit. The control unit is configured so as by use of the sensor arrangement to detect at least one movement parameter of the motor vehicle. In order to provide a driver of a motor vehicle with relevant driving information in an enhanced manner, the control unit is configured to actuate the lighting system in dependence upon at least one detected movement parameter of the motor vehicle in order to generate a light signal and thereby provide driving information for a driver.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 19, 2025Publication date: December 11, 2025Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Aleksander Bronislaw Spychala, Vincent Jannick Frisch, Gerald Doerne, Michael Koherr, Matthias Christian Reiter, Dietmar Koesters
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Patent number: 10766532Abstract: A method is described for assisting a driver when operating a vehicle on a road having a road surface and lane markings. The method includes the steps of ascertaining position of lane markings using an ascertaining apparatus, determining at least one lane delimiting line on the ascertained position of the lane markings, specifying a trajectory of the vehicle, in the event of the trajectory that is specified intersecting a lane delimiting line that is determined, outputting an instruction to the driver of the vehicle using at least one light beam that is projected onto the road surface.Type: GrantFiled: September 4, 2018Date of Patent: September 8, 2020Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Dominik Pahlke, Michael Koherr
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Publication number: 20190241086Abstract: A method for displaying charging stations for vehicles, wherein the vehicle comprises a navigation system for determining the current position of the vehicle, the location of the charging stations with which a vehicle battery of the vehicle may be charged being stored in said navigation system, and at least one headlight, comprises determining the current position of the vehicle and comparing the current position of the vehicle to the location of at least one of the stored charging stations by the navigation system and if the current position of the vehicle is within a selectable distance from the location of a charging station, activating the headlight with a pattern that may be selected.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 23, 2019Publication date: August 8, 2019Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Manuel Bojahr, Heiko Maas, Michael Koherr, Dominik Pahlke
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Publication number: 20190092391Abstract: A method is described for assisting a driver when operating a vehicle on a road having a road surface and lane markings. The method includes the steps of ascertaining position of lane markings using an ascertaining apparatus, determining at least one lane delimiting line on the ascertained position of the lane markings, specifying a trajectory of the vehicle, in the event of the trajectory that is specified intersecting a lane delimiting line that is determined, outputting an instruction to the driver of the vehicle using at least one light beam that is projected onto the road surface.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 4, 2018Publication date: March 28, 2019Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Dominik Pahlke, Michael Koherr
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Patent number: 9925914Abstract: An adaptive headlight system for a vehicle uses an adaptive headlight controller which controls one or more headlights so as to illuminate a scene visible to a vehicle driver. The controller causes the headlights to generate a frame-region within the scene which outlines an object detected by an object-detection system carried by the vehicle. The frame-region is illuminated at a reduced level relative to the areas of the scene inside and outside the frame-region, thereby creating a dark/light contrast, visible to the driver, between the frame-region and the scene. If the object-detecting system indicates that the object is a living being, the frame-region is located to cover a head of the living being so as to avoid visually dazzling the being.Type: GrantFiled: October 26, 2015Date of Patent: March 27, 2018Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Christoph Schlaug, Doemoetoer Gulyas, Michael Koherr
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Publication number: 20160114720Abstract: An adaptive headlight system for a vehicle uses an adaptive headlight controller which controls one or more headlights so as to illuminate a scene visible to a vehicle driver. The controller causes the headlights to generate a frame-region within the scene which outlines an object detected by an object-detection system carried by the vehicle. The frame-region is illuminated at a reduced level relative to the areas of the scene inside and outside the frame-region, thereby creating a dark/light contrast, visible to the driver, between the frame-region and the scene. If the object-detecting system indicates that the object is a living being, the frame-region is located to cover a head of the living being so as to avoid visually dazzling the being.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 26, 2015Publication date: April 28, 2016Inventors: Christoph SCHLAUG, Doemoetoer GULYAS, Michael KOHERR
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Publication number: 20150285458Abstract: A vehicle headlamp system includes a headlamp component with a reflecting element and a light source. The reflecting element includes an array of selectively controllable portions, and the light source provides a first output to the reflecting element. The system further includes a computer coupled to the light source and the reflecting element. The computer selectively operating the portions of the reflecting element to shape the first output into illumination areas according to at least one vehicle user characteristic.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 8, 2014Publication date: October 8, 2015Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Mahendra Somasara Dassanayake, Arun Kumar, Michael Koherr, Donald Paul Bilger, Doemoetoer Gulyas
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Publication number: 20150016128Abstract: A method and system for controlling the light distribution produced by at least one headlamp of a motor vehicle. A camera system onboard the vehicle images a scene ahead of the vehicle and sends digital files to an image evaluation device operable to detect a traffic indicator, such as a signboard, in the scene and recognize a correspondence between the traffic indicator and a stored pattern. The light distribution produced by the headlamp is automatically controlled based upon the correspondence. Possible light distributions are a normal dipped headlight, a lowered dipped headlight, a raised dipped headlight, an expanded dipped headlight, and a turn light. The light distribution may be further controlled based upon information relating to: current vehicle operating conditions; a presence and/or type of street lighting; a category of the road being driven on; and/or a presence and/or type of middle crash barrier.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 25, 2014Publication date: January 15, 2015Inventors: Gerald DOERNE, Christoph SCHLAUG, Michael KOHERR