Patents by Inventor Ronald Heft

Ronald Heft 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: 8948972
    Abstract: A vehicle controlling method which includes detecting an engagement of a vehicle tire with a rumble strip of a road, and performing first and second vehicle controls. The first vehicle control includes operating a controller to control movement of the vehicle after the vehicle tire has disengaged from the rumble strip to bring the vehicle tire back into engagement with the rumble strip. The second vehicle control includes operating the controller to continue to control movement of the vehicle to maintain the vehicle tire in engagement with the rumble strip after the vehicle tire has been brought back into engagement with the rumble strip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignees: Nissan North America, Inc., The University of Michigan
    Inventors: Jiechao Liu, Timothy Gordon, Ronald Heft
  • Patent number: 8854198
    Abstract: A forward vehicle brake warning system includes an incoming message receiving component, an adverse driving condition obtaining component, an incoming message relevancy component, a relevancy adjustment component and a driver warning component. The incoming message receiving component is configured to receive hard brake messages from neighboring vehicles located within a prescribed communication region around a host vehicle. The adverse driving condition obtaining component is configured to receive driving condition information affecting drivability of the host vehicle. The incoming message relevancy component is configured to perform a relevancy determination of the hard brake messages. The relevancy adjustment component is configured to adjust the relevancy determination to selectively filter the hard brake messages received depending upon the driving condition information. The driver warning component configured to alert a driver of the host vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2014
    Assignee: Nissan North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Steve Tengler, Ronald Heft
  • Publication number: 20140249718
    Abstract: A vehicle controlling method which includes detecting an engagement of a vehicle tire with a rumble strip of a road, and performing first and second vehicle controls. The first vehicle control includes operating a controller to control movement of the vehicle after the vehicle tire has disengaged from the rumble strip to bring the vehicle tire back into engagement with the rumble strip. The second vehicle control includes operating the controller to continue to control movement of the vehicle to maintain the vehicle tire in engagement with the rumble strip after the vehicle tire has been brought back into engagement with the rumble strip.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2013
    Publication date: September 4, 2014
    Applicants: THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Jiechao Liu, Timothy Gordon, Ronald Heft
  • Patent number: 8655543
    Abstract: A vehicle on-board unit communicates with vehicles to increase the accuracy of lane centerline determination. The on-board unit includes a communication system and a controller. The controller has a vehicle path history generating component, a lane centerline determining component, and a message processing component. The vehicle path history generating section generates a host vehicle path history data. The lane centerline determining section receives a preceding vehicle message including at least a preceding vehicle centerline data from the communication system and determines a host vehicle lane centerline data indicative of a centerline of the lane based on the host vehicle path history data and the preceding vehicle centerline data. The message processing component produces a host vehicle message including the host vehicle lane centerline data, the communication system being configured to broadcast the host vehicle message.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Nissan North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Steve Tengler, Ronald Heft
  • Patent number: 8643505
    Abstract: A host vehicle includes a cruise control system and an externally perceivable indicating device. The cruise control system is configured to selectively synchronize speed control of the host vehicle with at least one other vehicle. The cruise control system includes a relative position detecting device configured to determine position of the at least one second vehicle relative to the host vehicle, a vehicle speed control device, and a vehicle-to-vehicle communication device. The externally perceivable indicating device is configured to provide an indication of the operating status of the cruise control system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: Nissan North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Tsuda, Ronald Heft
  • Publication number: 20130253777
    Abstract: A vehicle on-board unit communicates with vehicles to increase the accuracy of lane centerline determination. The on-board unit includes a communication system and a controller. The controller has a vehicle path history generating component, a lane centerline determining component, and a message processing component. The vehicle path history generating section generates a host vehicle path history data. The lane centerline determining section receives a preceding vehicle message including at least a preceding vehicle centerline data from the communication system and determines a host vehicle lane centerline data indicative of a centerline of the lane based on the host vehicle path history data and the preceding vehicle centerline data. The message processing component produces a host vehicle message including the host vehicle lane centerline data, the communication system being configured to broadcast the host vehicle message.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2013
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Applicant: Nissan North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Steve TENGLER, Ronald HEFT
  • Patent number: 8483903
    Abstract: A vehicle on-board unit is configured to communicate with other vehicles to increase an accuracy of a lane centerline determination of a road that the vehicle is traveling. The vehicle on-board unit basically has a vehicle path history generating section, a two-way wireless communications section and a lane centerline determining section. The vehicle path history generating section generates a host vehicle path history data indicative of a travel path of the host vehicle. The two-way wireless communications section receives a preceding vehicle message that at least includes a preceding vehicle path history data indicative of a travel path of the preceding vehicle along a lane that the host vehicle is currently traveling. The lane centerline determining section determines a lane centerline of the lane that the host vehicle is currently traveling based on the host vehicle path history data and the preceding vehicle path history data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Nissan North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Steve Tengler, Ronald Heft
  • Publication number: 20120306634
    Abstract: A host vehicle includes a cruise control system and an externally perceivable indicating device. The cruise control system is configured to selectively synchronize speed control of the host vehicle with at least one other vehicle. The cruise control system includes a relative position detecting device configured to determine position of the at least one second vehicle relative to the host vehicle, a vehicle speed control device, and a vehicle-to-vehicle communication device. The externally perceivable indicating device is configured to provide an indication of the operating status of the cruise control system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 1, 2011
    Publication date: December 6, 2012
    Applicant: NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Hiroshi TSUDA, Ronald HEFT
  • Patent number: 8279083
    Abstract: A vehicle information communication method is provided in which at least one of host vehicle probe data and surrounding vehicle probe data is collected in a host vehicle. After collection, the data is transmitted to a carrier vehicle. The carrier vehicle then disassociates identifying information from the data before sending the data to an external communication device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Steve Tengler, Ronald Heft
  • Patent number: 7742603
    Abstract: An anonymous vehicular broadcast system that has encrypted links between the roadway infrastructure and the vehicles. The vehicles each have a common private key that is generated from a certification key, provided by a certification authority, and a configuration key that is generated at each power up of the vehicle. The configuration key is not stored in the vehicle so that the vehicle is only stores a portion of the private key.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: Nissan Technical Center North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Steve Tengler, Scott Andrews, Ronald Heft
  • Patent number: 7734050
    Abstract: A wireless vehicle and infrastructure system is described that allows for utilization of a quasi-anonymous common private key/digital certificate pool, such that all vehicles are authenticated to the system, but no one vehicle/user can be readily identified during their use of the system because of their use of set of common private key/digital certificate pairs that are assigned to each vehicle from the pool and are common across multiple vehicles. Vehicle/user anonymity is only temporarily removed during vehicle/user re-authentication and re-issuance of new common private key/digital certificate pairs from the pool in the wireless vehicle and infrastructure system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2010
    Assignee: Nissan Technical Center North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Steve Tengler, Scott Andrews, Ronald Heft
  • Publication number: 20100045481
    Abstract: A vehicle information communication method is provided in which at least one of host vehicle probe data and surrounding vehicle probe data is collected in a host vehicle. After collection, the data is transmitted to a carrier vehicle. The carrier vehicle then disassociates identifying information from the data before sending the data to an external communication device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2009
    Publication date: February 25, 2010
    Applicant: C/O NISSAN TECHNICAL CENTER NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Steve Tengler, Ronald Heft
  • Patent number: 7668644
    Abstract: A vehicle fuel informational system is provided with a fuel level determination component, an onboard vehicle positioning component, an onboard vehicle navigation component and a low fuel notification component. The fuel level determination component determines a fuel level of a host vehicle equipped with the vehicle fuel informational system. The onboard vehicle positioning component determines a host vehicle's position of the host vehicle equipped with the vehicle positioning component. The onboard vehicle navigation component provides vehicle route information for a desired vehicle route of the host vehicle. The low fuel notification component provides a low fuel alert notification that is indicative of a low fuel and automatically recommends a suggested fuel provider at least partially based on at least one of the host vehicle's position of the host vehicle and the desired vehicle route.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Assignee: Nissan Technical Center North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Steve Tengler, Ronald Heft
  • Patent number: 7609174
    Abstract: A vehicle information communication system is provided in which probe data or other private data relating to a host vehicle can be collected with anonymity. Basically, the host vehicle collects the probe data and sends the probe data to a carrier vehicle that disassociates the host vehicle's identifying information (e.g., MAC address) from the data before the carrier vehicle sends the probe data to a roadside unit or other external communications station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2009
    Assignee: Nissan Technical Center North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Steve Tengler, Ronald Heft
  • Patent number: 7523000
    Abstract: A vehicle pre-collision countermeasure system is provided has a communication component, a rear collision predicting component and an acceleration countermeasure component. The communication component conducts a direct communications with other vehicles, including broadcasting vehicle parameter identifiers of a host vehicle equipped with the communication component and receiving vehicle parameter identifiers of a following vehicle. The rear collision predicting component predicts a likelihood of a potential rear collision event occurring in the host vehicle based on the vehicle parameter identifiers of the following vehicle. The acceleration countermeasure component accelerates the host vehicle in response to the rear collision predicting component predicting that the potential rear collision event is likely to occur with the following vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: Nissan Technical Center North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Steve Tengler, Ronald Heft
  • Publication number: 20090096598
    Abstract: A forward vehicle brake warning system includes an incoming message receiving component, an adverse driving condition obtaining component, an incoming message relevancy component, a relevancy adjustment component and a driver warning component. The incoming message receiving component is configured to receive hard brake messages from neighboring vehicles located within a prescribed communication region around a host vehicle. The adverse driving condition obtaining component is configured to receive driving condition information affecting drivability of the host vehicle. The incoming message relevancy component is configured to perform a relevancy determination of the hard brake messages. The relevancy adjustment component is configured to adjust the relevancy determination to selectively filter the hard brake messages received depending upon the driving condition information. The driver warning component configured to alert a driver of the host vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2008
    Publication date: April 16, 2009
    Applicant: Nissan Technical Center North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Steve Tengler, Ronald Heft
  • Patent number: 7486199
    Abstract: A forward vehicle brake warning system includes an incoming message receiving component, an adverse driving condition obtaining component, an incoming message relevancy component, a relevancy adjustment component and a driver warning component. The incoming message receiving component is configured to receive hard brake messages from neighboring vehicles located within a prescribed communication region around a host vehicle. The adverse driving condition obtaining component is configured to receive adverse driving condition information affecting drivability of the host vehicle. The incoming message relevancy component is configured to perform a relevancy determination of the hard brake messages. The relevancy adjustment component is configured to adjust the relevancy determination to selectively filter the hard brake messages received depending upon the adverse driving condition information. The driver warning component configured to alert a driver of the host vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: Nissan Technical Center North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Steve Tengler, Ronald Heft
  • Patent number: 7444227
    Abstract: A vehicle communication system is provided to facilitate meeting our people in nearby or neighboring cars with similar interests, desires or wants. The vehicle communication system has a host vehicle two way communication device, a host vehicle personal data storage component and a host vehicle personal data matching component. The host vehicle two way communication device conducts direct short range communications in a host vehicle broadcast area surrounding a host vehicle. The host vehicle personal data storage component broadcasts at least some of a host vehicle user's personal data and receives nearby user's desired profile requirement via the host vehicle two way communication device. The host vehicle personal data matching component compares host vehicle user's desired profile requirement that is based on the host vehicle user's personal data with the nearby user's desired profile requirement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2008
    Assignee: Nissan Technical Center North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Steve Tengler, Ronald Heft
  • Patent number: 7433773
    Abstract: A vehicle on-board unit comprises a short range wireless broadcasting section, a vehicle identifier receiving section, a vehicle identifier counting section and a communication congestion determining section. The short range wireless broadcasting section is configured to broadcast a host vehicle identifier of a host vehicle equipped with the vehicle on-board unit. The vehicle identifier receiving section is configured to receive neighboring vehicle identifiers relating to neighboring vehicles located within a prescribed communication region around the host vehicle. The vehicle identifier counting section is configured to determine a number of the neighboring vehicle identifiers received by the vehicle identifier receiving section within a prescribed period of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2008
    Assignee: Nissan Technical Center North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Steve Tengler, Ronald Heft
  • Publication number: 20080136670
    Abstract: A vehicle information communication system is provided in which probe data or other private data relating to a host vehicle can be collected with anonymity. Basically, the host vehicle collects the probe data and sends the probe data to a carrier vehicle that disassociates the host vehicle's identifying information (e.g., MAC address) from the data before the carrier vehicle sends the probe data to a roadside unit or other external communications station.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2006
    Publication date: June 12, 2008
    Applicant: Nissan Technical Center North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Steve Tengler, Ronald Heft