Patents by Inventor Thomas E. Klauke

Thomas E. Klauke 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: 5801623
    Abstract: An adaptive method of detecting a lamp outage condition is implemented in a vehicle flasher system including a plurality of lamps. The method includes the steps of: a) initializing an adaptive flasher current variable when the vehicle flasher system is powered on; b) monitoring the vehicle flasher system to detect a driver flasher signal request; c) measuring current output from the plurality of lamps in the vehicle flasher system; d) determining whether the level of measured current is indicative of a lamp outage condition by comparing the measured current to the adaptive flasher current variable; e) setting the adaptive flasher current variable equal to the measured current if the measured current falls within a predetermined learning range, thereby compensating for resistance changes in the flasher system over time to allow lamp outage detection; and f) returning to step b).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 1, 1998
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Bor-Dong Chen, William Gary Majorana, Thomas E. Klauke