Internal Alarm Or Indicator Responsive To A Condition Of The Vehicle Patents (Class 340/438)
  • Patent number: 11151656
    Abstract: A system and method for monitoring a vehicle uses a wireless mobile device. The wireless mobile device, such as a cell phone, smart phone, PDA, etc., includes some of the hardware that could be utilized to monitor and analyze data and transmit the data (or summaries, statistics or analyses of the data) to a central server. This can greatly reduce the overall cost of the system. The data can be used to determine an insurance rate or as a speed probe for creating traffic maps, for example.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: APPY RISK TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED
    Inventor: Otman A. Basir
  • Patent number: 11150627
    Abstract: A system for monitoring conditions associated with operation of an underground machine includes a sensor that is disposed on the machine. The sensor is configured to output tri-axial acceleration data associated with the underground machine. The system also includes at least one controller that is disposed in communication with the sensor. The at least one controller is configured to evaluate the tri-axial acceleration data with at least one pre-defined criteria, and determine whether the tri-axial acceleration data is in excess of a threshold associated with the at least one pre-defined criteria based on the evaluation. The controller is also configured to record an occurrence of an abnormality in the condition associated with operation of the underground machine on the basis of whether the tri-axial acceleration data is in excess of a threshold associated with the at least one pre-defined criteria.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: Caterpillar Underground Mining Pty. Ltd.
    Inventors: Alexander E. Dowling, Rhys J. Oldridge
  • Patent number: 11142216
    Abstract: Systems and techniques for managing seat haptics are described herein. A system for managing seat haptics may include a seat equipped with an actuator, a processor, and a controller. The processor may receive a signal from a vehicle system. The controller may control the actuator to operate according to a first mode at a first time and operate according to a second mode at a second time based on the signal received from the vehicle system, such as a navigation system or sensor system. The vehicle system may be a vehicle navigation system and the controller may control the actuator to operate according to the first mode, at a first frequency, and according to the second mode, at a second frequency. The first time may be during travel along a route and the second time may be when the vehicle is less than a threshold distance from a destination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Stuart Masakazu Yamamoto, Joseph Anthony Alequin, Hartley Ochavillo
  • Patent number: 11146955
    Abstract: Configuration methods and systems include a smart vehicle router associated with router information stored in a router file in a cloud network, and a smart mobile device comprising a camera and software application tool. The router information includes a unique authentication certificate to permit a one-to-one pairing such that another pairing is not available. The configuration system is configured to read an image of an identification component associated with the smart vehicle router and the router information, apply an authentication algorithm to the image to provision the tool with the unique authentication certificate, authenticate the smart vehicle based on the image and authentication algorithm, pair the authenticated smart vehicle with the tool in the one-to-one pairing based on the unique authentication certificate and the router information, and automatically configure the tool on the smart mobile device to retrieve data associated with the authenticated smart vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: THOR TECH, INC.
    Inventors: Ciprian R. Sandu, Jason T. Kriesel, McKay R. Featherstone, Edward Brady, Steven Hileman
  • Patent number: 11143684
    Abstract: A diagnostic system for a vehicle electrical system is provided. The diagnostic system includes a microcontroller having microcontroller core components. A first diagnostic handler application sends a first index value to the microcontroller core component diagnostic safety application. The microcontroller core component diagnostic safety application accesses a microcontroller core component diagnostic flag in a first table in the RAM if the first index value is equal to a valid index value in a first table. The microcontroller core component diagnostic safety application sends the microcontroller core component diagnostic flag to the first diagnostic handler application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: LG Energy Solution, Ltd.
    Inventor: Kerfegar K. Katrak
  • Patent number: 11139999
    Abstract: Processing signals from messages on at least two data buses, particularly CAN buses in a vehicle, includes extracting at least one signal from at least one message in a traffic node of the at least two data buses and at least one extracted signal value of the at least one signal is checked for a change relative to the signal value of the at least one signal that was most recently held in the memory unit. The at least one extracted signal value of the at least one signal is held in the memory unit if the at least one extracted signal value of the at least one signal has changed relative to the signal value of the at least one signal that was most recently held in the memory unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Andreas Kern, Thomas Koenigseder, Albrecht Neff
  • Patent number: 11135974
    Abstract: A system includes a processor configured to determine an applicable pre-defined vehicle system state set, defining preferred vehicle system states when a driver is away from a vehicle. The processor is also configured to determine a driver exit-event while a vehicle state in the state set varies from a preferred setting and notify a driver mobile device of the variance, responsive to the exit event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: Ford Global technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Jeffrey Yizhou Hu, Michael Crimando, Michael David Kaminski, Austin Kirk, Derrick Portis
  • Patent number: 11132849
    Abstract: Methods, computer-readable media, software, and apparatuses provide a system that may facilitate communications so that parents or other superiors may monitor driving behavior of a vehicle carrying children or other subordinates. The system may allow communications to be sent from a parent computing device to a particular child computing device to set conditions for notifying the parent or superior of the driving behavior of a vehicle. Child computing devices may collect drive data (e.g., vehicle telematics data) for the system to evaluate and determine whether conditions are met (e.g., whether parental restrictions, like a geo-fence, are violated). Further, the system may send notifications to child computing devices and parent computing devices indicating whether the drive data meets the conditions of an agreement between a parent and teen. The system may also provide a web portal for use in forming the agreement between parents and their teens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: ARITY INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
    Inventors: Imran Iqbal, Srinath Gopalan, Yuval Saban
  • Patent number: 11134220
    Abstract: A vehicular control system includes a forward sensing sensor, a rearward sensing sensor and a forward viewing camera disposed at a vehicle. The forward and rearward sensing sensors each have an antenna array that emits a beam forward or rearward of the vehicle. An ECU includes an image processor operable to process image data captured by the camera. The ECU, responsive at least in part to processing by the image processor of image data captured by the camera, determines presence of snow and/or a driving condition at the vehicle. The ECU may adjust the beam emitted by the antenna array of the forward sensing sensor and/or the rearward sensing sensor responsive to determination of snow and/or the driving condition at the vehicle. The control may adjust power of the beam and/or a beam pattern of the beam responsive to determination of snow and/or the driving condition at the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Krishna Koravadi, Ove J. Salomonsson
  • Patent number: 11117584
    Abstract: A merge behavior system assists a host vehicle positioned in a mainline lane that is adjacent a merge lane. The merge behavior system includes an identification module that identifies at least one proximate vehicle in the merge lane. The merge behavior system also includes a prediction module that selects one or more models based on the at least one proximate vehicle, calculates one or more merge factors corresponding to the one or more models, and predicts a merge location based on the one or more merge factors. The merge behavior system further includes a control module configured to adjust a kinematic parameter of the host vehicle to create a gap at the predicted merge location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Jovin D'sa, Samer Rajab, Shigenobu Saigusa, Xue Bai
  • Patent number: 11106336
    Abstract: An apparatus for providing a rapidly perceivable display of vehicular data includes a processor, a sensor interface, a device display, and a memory. The memory contains instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to obtain, via the sensor interface, vehicle data, determine, based on the vehicle data, a plurality of status datums, determine, for each status datum of the plurality of status datums, a current priority value, and display, on the device display, a hierarchical array. In at least one embodiment, the hierarchical array presents a set of status datums determined to have the highest current priority values of the plurality of status datums. In at least one embodiment, each status datum of the hierarchical array occupies a location in the hierarchical array corresponding to its current priority value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Inventor: William H. Havins
  • Patent number: 11100770
    Abstract: A self-adjusting LED warning light control system includes an image capturing device, an image processing device, a car distance detection device, a warning light control device, and an LED warning light. The LED warning light includes a red LED component, a middle partition, and a blue LED component. The image capturing device is provided for collecting image data for the front of the police car to obtain a front image; the image processing device is provided for performing an image processing of the front image; the car distance detection device is provided for confirming the front vehicle distance according to an output of the image processing device; the warning light control device is provided for confirming a control strategy of the LED warning light according to the output of the car distance detection device. This disclosure can achieve a self-adjusting control of the LED warning light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: Yuyao Feite Plastic Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shanqin Zhang
  • Patent number: 11097656
    Abstract: A lighting apparatus of an autonomous vehicle may include: a roof formed at the top of a vehicle; a lighting unit installed on the roof, and configured to display an autonomous driving status of the vehicle to the outside; and a control unit configured to vary a lighting status of the lighting unit according to the autonomous driving status of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: HYUNDAI MOBIS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Eun Jeong Lee, Seung Woo Baek, Ban Suk Choi, Cheon Seop Shin, Jun Hyuk Cha, Moo Kwan Kim
  • Patent number: 11094431
    Abstract: Aggregated, submarine cable system information is securely stored, accessed and managed. Security is assured through the use of multi-factor authentication that is compliant with National Institutes of Standards And Technology and US. Government Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation requirements. Further, real-time audit logs are generated as end-users access controlled unclassified information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Inventors: Kathryn Costa, Glenn Ericksen, Theresa Linson, Nicholas Koopalethes, Donald B. Yowell, R. Bruce Morris, James Reidenbach, Jason Skinner
  • Patent number: 11092819
    Abstract: The disclosure provides for a display apparatus for a vehicle. The display apparatus includes a display screen configured to emit images in an emission direction; a mirror apparatus configured to reflect the images from the display screen towards a viewing direction; and a lens apparatus configured to receive the images from the mirror, wherein the lens apparatus is configured to project the images to a focal distance substantially opposite the viewing direction, wherein the focal distance is positioned at least about 750 mm from eyes of the driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: GENTEX CORPORATION
    Inventor: Andrew D. Weller
  • Patent number: 11094144
    Abstract: A method and apparatus in a vehicular telemetry system for determining accelerometer thresholds based upon decoding a vehicle identification number (VIN).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Inventor: Neil Charles Cawse
  • Patent number: 11085213
    Abstract: System, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to alerting a passenger about hazards when exiting a subject vehicle. In one embodiment, a method includes identifying an initial target and a subsequent target according to sensor data about a surrounding environment of the subject vehicle. The method includes, in response to determining that the initial target satisfies an alert threshold, activating an initial alert for a defined time to inform the passenger of a hazard associated with the initial target and the passenger exiting the subject vehicle into a path of the initial target. The method includes extending the defined time responsive to the subsequent target satisfying the alert threshold and a timing threshold that defines a cool-down period between activating separate alerts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Joshua Goriesky, Nathaniel Sherrit, Ryo Takaki
  • Patent number: 11087622
    Abstract: An attention calling apparatus for a vehicle includes a voice receiver, an utterance estimating unit, a precaution information determining unit, and a notification unit. The voice receiver receives a voice from occupants in the vehicle. The utterance estimating unit estimates an utterance on the basis of the voice. The precaution information determining unit determines whether the utterance includes precaution information regarding driving of the vehicle. The notification unit notifies at least one of the occupants of the precaution information when the utterance includes the precaution information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tatsuo Kano
  • Patent number: 11084709
    Abstract: The present application provides a method, device and system for automatically fueling a vehicle. The method includes: judging, by a fueling control device of the vehicle, whether the vehicle needs to be filled with fuel; obtaining driving route information and vehicle status information of the vehicle in the case of determining that the vehicle needs to be filled with fuel; determining fuel amount to be filled according to the driving route information and the vehicle status information of the vehicle; sending a fueling request to a fueling management system; receiving a feedback message from the fueling management system, wherein the feedback message includes position information of a fueling device; and prompting the vehicle to obtain fuel offered by the fueling device indicated by the position information of the fueling device according to the fuel amount to be filled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: TUSIMPLE, INC.
    Inventors: Nan Wu, He Zheng
  • Patent number: 11087625
    Abstract: An abnormality notification device in a vehicle determines contents of situation information received from a second vehicle as abnormal at a certain timing. Then, the vehicle transmits abnormality information including identity information of the second vehicle to a station at a next timing, and transmits at a yet next timing a report completion notice notifying a nearby vehicle of the identity information of the second vehicle regarding which the abnormality information has already been transmitted to the station. When the nearby vehicle detects the second vehicle at still yet next timing as an abnormal vehicle, the nearby vehicle refrains from transmitting the abnormality information of the second vehicle at a subsequent timing, since the nearby vehicle has already received the report completion notice from the vehicle at the yet next timing. As such, unnecessary communication between a vehicle and a station is suppressed, and frequency utilization efficiency is improvable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Fumio Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11087485
    Abstract: A cargo-sensing unit including: an image sensor; at least one processor; and a memory having stored thereon computer program code that, when executed by the processor, controls the at least one processor to: instruct the image sensor to capture an image of a cargo space within a cargo container; compare the captured image to a baseline image of an empty cargo container; and determine, based on the comparison between the captured image and the baseline image, a cargo space utilization estimate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: I.D. Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Ehrman, Chris Wolfe
  • Patent number: 11088975
    Abstract: In an illustrative embodiment, systems and methods for coordinating automated, real-time data sharing and updating between participants using disparate data formats for information transfer include a messaging interface for receiving message initiation requests including messaging data from regionally-distributed computing devices. The message initiation requests may be queued as queuing data in a global message queue. Updates may be made to the queuing data indicating a status of the message initiation requests based on reply messages received from message recipients. A message transmission system may transform the messaging data into a generic data object that is agnostic to messaging formats of a sending computing system and a receiving computing system. The generic data object may be mapped to a message format associated with the receiving computing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: AON GLOBAL OPERATIONS SE, SINGAPORE BRANCH
    Inventor: Troy Hughes
  • Patent number: 11082819
    Abstract: A mobility service supporting device includes a communication unit configured to be communicable with a vehicle-mounted device installed in a vehicle subjected to autonomous driving control and a portable terminal of a user of the vehicle and a controller configured to transmit, based on information about the position of the vehicle which is received from the vehicle-mounted device via the communication unit, notification for preventing the portable terminal from being left behind in the vehicle to the portable terminal of the user via the communication unit before the vehicle arrives at a destination of the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koichi Ikemoto, Keiji Yamashita, Koji Taguchi, Shin Sakurada, Tomoyuki Kuriyama
  • Patent number: 11080643
    Abstract: A cargo-sensing unit including: an image sensor; a transceiver; at least one processor; and a memory having stored thereon computer program code that, when executed by the processor, controls the at least one processor to: receive, from a controlling server and through the transceiver, an instruction to capture an image of cargo space within a cargo container; control the image sensor to capture an image of the cargo space in response to receiving the instruction; and operate in accordance with a determined cargo container status based on an analysis of the captured image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: I.D. Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Ehrman, Chris Wolfe
  • Patent number: 11080161
    Abstract: A control device including a failure diagnosis unit configured to identify a phenomenon that is a cause of the detected error, wherein the failure diagnosis unit is configured to: calculate a diagnosable time available to be spent on the identification of the phenomenon that is the cause of the error; and identify, for each detected error, a phenomenon that is the cause of the error based on a posterior probability, which is calculated for each phenomenon that is likely to be the cause of the error as a probability of occurrence of the phenomenon, on a diagnosis time, which is obtained for each phenomenon as a period of time required to identify the phenomenon as the cause of the error, and on the diagnosable time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomohiko Higashiyama, Daisuke Kawakami, Chihiro Morita
  • Patent number: 11072327
    Abstract: A method of operating a vehicle includes determining a first plurality of known lane intervals at a first time with a controller of a guidance system of the vehicle, the known lane intervals available to receive the vehicle, determining a plurality of visible lane intervals at a second time after the first time with the controller based on perception data generated by the guidance system, and determining a plurality of occupied lane intervals at the second time with the controller based on the perception data generated by the guidance system. The method further includes determining a second plurality of known lane intervals at the second time as a union of the first plurality of known lane intervals, the plurality of visible lane intervals, and the plurality of occupied lane intervals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2021
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Jason S. Hardy, Joerg Mueller, Mithun Jacob, Jingru Luo, Jan Kleindieck
  • Patent number: 11072239
    Abstract: A vehicle display control device, when a steering wheel is at a steering angle position of a neutral position or the vicinity thereof, if a right hand sensor detects gripping of the steering wheel, turns off light sources of memory buttons and operation buttons that can be operated with a right hand, and if a left hand sensor detects the gripping, turns off a light source of air conditioning related buttons and hides touch buttons of a touch panel display that can be operated with a left hand. The vehicle display control device, if the right hand sensor does not detect the gripping, turns on the light sources of the memory buttons and the operation buttons, and if the left hand sensor does not detect the gripping, turns on the light source of the air conditioning related buttons and displays the touch buttons on the touch panel display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2021
    Assignee: YAZAKI CORPORATION
    Inventor: Terumitsu Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 11068002
    Abstract: A work vehicle may include a load sensor, an engine, a drive train driven by the engine and a track system including at least one track. The track system is connected to the drive train. The work vehicle may further comprise a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature and a vehicle control system configured to receive the sensed temperature and a vehicle load from the load sensor. The vehicle control system is configured to output a work speed vehicle alert based upon a combination of the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor and the vehicle load sensed by the load sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Assignee: DEERE & COMPANY
    Inventors: Daniel Garvin, Ronica L. McKinley, Narasimhan Rangan, Janet R. Willett, Bruce L. Upchurch, Jeremy P. L'Heureux
  • Patent number: 11059333
    Abstract: In various aspects, the performance optimization system described herein optimizes vehicle performance through smart alerts communicated to an operator, owner, or fleet manager of a vehicle. When a vehicle characteristic is outside of the target range, a smart alert can be communicated to the user to encourage the user to bring the vehicle characteristic back into a target range. Aspects of the performance optimization system can focus on tire characteristics, which are one type of vehicle characteristic. Exemplary tire characteristics can include tire pressure, tire tread, and tire alignment. In order to generate smart alerts, vehicle information can be gathered from a variety of sources. In particular, information about a tire can be collected from an onboard tire pressure monitoring system, tire mats, or other mechanisms. This information can be analyzed to determine whether vehicle characteristics are inside or outside of a target range for the particular characteristic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company
    Inventors: Mohan Kalyanaraman, Adam G. Stern
  • Patent number: 11059481
    Abstract: A vehicle control system includes: a recognizer that recognizes a distribution state of obstacles in an advancement direction of a vehicle; a trajectory determiner that determines a target trajectory for each vehicle wheel of the vehicle on the basis of the distribution state of the obstacles recognized by the recognizer; and an automated driving controller that executes automated driving of the vehicle along the target trajectory determined by the trajectory determiner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Toru Kokaki, Katsuya Yashiro, Toshiyuki Kaji, Masanori Takeda, Hiroshi Oguro
  • Patent number: 11062575
    Abstract: A wireless sensor system and method detects when a tailgate, door, or other object on a vehicle moves from a closed position to an open position and then generates an alarm. The wireless sensor system includes a wireless sensor and a transceiver module. The transceiver module is plugged into a cigarette lighter of the vehicle to receive its power. The wireless sensor detects a movement of an object on a vehicle from a first position to a second position. The wireless sensor transmits data indicating the object moved from the first position to the second position to the transceiver module. The transceiver module receives the transmitted data and determines whether to cause an alarm to be generated based, at least in part, on the transmitted data. When an alarm is to be generated, the transceiver module causes the alarm to be generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Inventors: Travis Copen, David Kolar
  • Patent number: 11054976
    Abstract: A method for operating a vehicle information system having at least a first display area and a second display area. An activation signal and a transition signal are received in succession. Graphical data for an activation animation containing a first view and a second view is generated based on the activation signal and the transition signal, and displayed by the first display area and second display area. After the activation signal is received, an appearing of the first view is output, wherein the first view has a first graphical object. After the transition signal is received, a disappearing of the first view and an appearing of the second view are output, wherein the appearing of the second view has a movement effect which depicts a movement from the first display area to the second display area. Also disclosed is a vehicle information system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Inventors: Sükrü Cengil, Anna Braun
  • Patent number: 11050981
    Abstract: A method of controlling a vehicle having a plurality of cameras having different viewing angles with respect to front, rear, left and right directions is provided. The method includes when an image obtainment command is received through an inputter, obtaining an image obtained by the cameras having the viewing angle with respect to at least one of left and right sides as an event image of a traffic accident of another vehicle. The event image of the obtained traffic accident of the other vehicle is transmitted to an external device. When the vehicle is in a parking state, the image obtained by the camera having the viewing angle with respect to at least one of the front and rear is obtained as the event image for parking, and the event image for parking is transmitted to a user terminal registered in advance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventor: JunHyuk Choi
  • Patent number: 11040727
    Abstract: In an engine speed display control device of a vehicle including an engine speed display to display a determined display value of the engine speed, the engine speed display control device determines the display value of the engine speed, and includes a variation restricting display control portion configured to implement a variation restricting display control when a garage-parking shifting operation of the transmission shifting member is performed while the vehicle is held stationary in a non-operated position of the accelerator pedal. The variation restricting display control portion determines the display value of the engine speed in the variation restricting display control such that an amount of variation of the display value is smaller than in a normal display control in which the display value is determined according to the actual value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takanori Shirakawa, Chikashi Ohta, Ryuta Kinoshita
  • Patent number: 11035092
    Abstract: A system for monitoring a structures containing utility components is provided. The system includes a sensing devices, each being disposed within a structure and distributed within a geographic region, each of the sensing devices measuring parameters within the structure. A display is coupled to the sensing devices and is positioned remotely therefrom. One or more processors communicate with the sensing devices and the display. Wherein the processors perform a method comprising: receiving the measured parameters; comparing the measured parameters to thresholds; displaying on the display device elements, each device element representing one of the sensing devices, each of the device elements being geometrically arranged on the geographic distribution of the sensing devices; displaying on the display a plurality of elements, each associated with one of the device elements; and changing at least one of the elements when a measured parameter crossing one of the thresholds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: CONSOLIDATED EDISON COMPANY OF NEW YORK, INC.
    Inventors: Troy David De Vries, Zhou Zheng, Stanley J. Lewis, Leslie George Philp, Colleen Bridget Murach, Gregg L. Slintak
  • Patent number: 11037004
    Abstract: A communication device is provided for a motor vehicle that works with traffic-relevant information provided through light signals. The communication device comprises a primary imaging optical system to create the input image from the received scenic image, which may comprise a light car2car signal and/or a light car2X signal including traffic-relevant information. It further comprises a DMD array of mirrors for receiving the input image and transmitting it to a primary optical sensor adapted to convert the input optical image to an electric signal for processing, to thereby find out whether and what places of the input image sources of the signals are found in.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: Varroc Lighting Systems, S.R.O.
    Inventors: Jan Kratochvil, Michaela Duliakova, Stanislav Klimicek, Vaclav Stihel, Karolina Pichova
  • Patent number: 11022795
    Abstract: A vehicle display control device, which adjusts a brightness of a display image as a display image brightness of a head-up display that superimposes and displays the display image as a virtual image over a foreground scenery of the vehicle by projecting the display image onto a projection member, includes: a visual line position specifying unit that specifies a visual line position of the driver of the vehicle; and a display control unit that adjusts the display image brightness according to the brightness in a set range of the foreground scenery with respect to the visual line position as a reference point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroaki Ogawa
  • Patent number: 11015283
    Abstract: A clothes manager is provided. The clothes manager includes a cabinet including an accommodation space in which clothes are accommodated, a door provided to open and close an opening of the cabinet, a clothes treating device provided to treat the clothes accommodated in the accommodation space of the cabinet, a sensing device configured to detect that a human or an animal enters the cabinet, and a processor configured to output an abnormal detection signal based on a human or animal detection signal transmitted by the sensing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Eunyoung Park, Dongil Back, Dongyun Han
  • Patent number: 11014547
    Abstract: An exhaust brake torque system for a vehicle including an engine includes a controller configured to determine a current exhaust brake torque and a maximum exhaust brake torque. A display is configured to display at least one of the current exhaust brake torque, the maximum exhaust brake torque and a percentage corresponding to the current exhaust brake torque divided by the maximum exhaust brake torque. An engine speed sensor determines an engine speed of an engine. A pressure sensor is configured to sense turbine inlet pressure. The controller is configured to calculate the current exhaust brake torque and the maximum exhaust brake torque in response to the engine speed and the turbine inlet pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Maqsood Rizwan Ali Khan, Mark R. Claywell
  • Patent number: 11007942
    Abstract: A vehicle-mounted system for recording video and audio. The system uses distributed processing, including encoding the video and audio at their source(s), and a high-speed, e.g., Ethernet, bus connecting the various system components and external devices. The system may include a display monitor which is integrated into the same housing as a rear view mirror of the vehicle, with the display monitor being located behind the mirror and video displayed on the monitor being visible through the mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: Digital Ally, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert D. Haler
  • Patent number: 11002539
    Abstract: A method for detecting a slope of a road on which a vehicle is traveling in at least one spatial direction. The vehicle has a body and a chassis with a plurality of wheels. An inclination of the vehicle body in the spatial direction is determined. For at least one wheel, a vertical distance to the vehicle body is detected. The distance so determined is used to calculate an inclination of the chassis in the spatial direction. The slope of the road in the spatial direction is determined from a difference between the inclination of the vehicle body in the spatial direction and the inclination of the chassis in the spatial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: AUDI AG
    Inventor: Andreas Unger
  • Patent number: 10994780
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for determining the angle of the target detected by the radar of the vehicle. The target angle determination apparatus may be configured to calculate a first angle of the first group target included in the radar data by using the first angle calculation algorithm with the low resolution, to determine a part of the first group target and the second group target based on the possible driving route of the host vehicle, and to calculate the second angle of the second angle target selected from the first group target by using the second angle calculation algorithm with the high resolution based on the possible driving route of the host vehicle, so that it is possible to minimize unnecessary calculation operations and reduce the system load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: MANDO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yun Ki Han
  • Patent number: 10989929
    Abstract: The head-up display apparatus includes: a vehicle information acquisition unit configured to acquire various kinds of vehicle information which can be detected by a vehicle; a controller configured to control display of a video image based on the vehicle information; a video image display configured to form the video image based on an instruction from the controller; a mirror configured to reflect the video image formed by the video image display to project onto the windshield; a mirror driver configured to change an angle of the mirror based on an instruction from the controller; and a display distance adjusting mechanism configured to adjust a display distance of the virtual image with respect to the driver, and the controller adjusts the angle of the mirror via the mirror driver based on the vehicle information such that the virtual image can be displayed with respect to the driver overlapped with the scenery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: MAXELL, LTD.
    Inventors: Yuki Nagano, Kazuomi Kaneko, Maki Hanada, Akio Misawa, Kazuyuki Takizawa
  • Patent number: 10984658
    Abstract: A vehicle display device includes a display part that is arranged in a vehicle and is configured to display a first image as an image of information related to the vehicle on a front side of a driver, a detector configured to detect an action of the driver, and a controller configured to change an image displayed on the display part from the first image to a second image when an action of the driver gazing at the first image is detected. The first image includes an image of the vehicle, for example.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: YAZAKI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi Shiota, Kenichi Nagahashi
  • Patent number: 10974643
    Abstract: A warning light device for a backview mirror has a backview mirror and a warning unit. The backview mirror has a casing and a mirror corresponding to each other. the mirror comprising a translucent region allowing the warning unit disposed in the casing to be aligned with the translucent region on the mirror. The warning unit has a lighting device, an illumination cover and a circuit board. The lighting device has a containment space and an opening connected to the containment space, the circuit board disposed in the containment space through the opening. The circuit board further comprising a plurality of illuminating members behind the opening; the illumination cover having a translucent plate configured to cover the opening; a plurality of illumination rods disposed in the containment space and in front of the translucent plate facing the illuminating members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: GIVING INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Tsung-Ming Huang
  • Patent number: 10970747
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling use of an autonomous vehicle includes an interior occupant sensing system to obtain data of occupants from a video camera. An occupant sensing controller is configured to receive the video and detect a number of faces of occupants disposed in the vehicle. Further, the occupant sensing controller determines demographic information from the video data of each of the detected faces and then stores the vehicle location, the number of faces, and the demographic information for occupants as data in the vehicle. The occupant sensing controller determines from the demographic information an age of occupants in the autonomous vehicle, and when the demographic information indicates that all occupants in the autonomous vehicle are less than a certain age, limits travel to a destination or operation of the autonomous vehicle in response to age.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: James Stephen Miller, Patrick Graf, Frank Riggi
  • Patent number: 10970946
    Abstract: An information acquisition apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes an actual use state-related information acquisition unit that acquires the sprung mass of a vehicle in one trip based on displacement information of a sprung part of the vehicle acquired by a vehicle height sensor in the vehicle, and an actual use state analysis unit that acquires information regarding an actual use state of the vehicle regarding a loading state of a loaded object on the vehicle in a relatively long period based on the sprung mass in one trip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Shin Sakurada
  • Patent number: 10969875
    Abstract: A plurality of sensors for application to a steering wheel or other generally toroidal objects is disclosed. In an embodiment, the sensor comprises interleaving transmit and receive conductors. In an embodiment, the sensor comprises crossing transmit and receive conductors. In an embodiment, sensor conductors are first provided on a flat substrate, which sensors placed on the flat substrate in a configuration that will permit expansion application of the substrate to the steering wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: Tactual Labs Co.
    Inventors: Darren Leigh, Braon Moseley, Robert Alack, Jr., Clifton Forlines, Adam Landa
  • Patent number: 10970945
    Abstract: A control apparatus for a vehicle includes tire-force sensors, a tire-force estimator, a turning-state detector, and a warning unit. The tire-force sensors are disposed on respective wheels of the vehicle. The tire-force estimator estimates tire forces of the respective wheels on the basis of sensor signals outputted from the respective tire-force sensors. The turning-state detector detects a turning state of the vehicle. The warning unit generates a warning in a mode that differs depending on the turning state when at least one of the wheels is estimated to be in a limit state on the basis of the estimated tire forces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventor: Satoshi Yoshizawa
  • Patent number: 10962562
    Abstract: A velocity indication system of a vehicle includes one or more velocity sensors configured to sense a vehicle velocity and to generate velocity data therefrom. The system also includes a control unit configured to receive the velocity data and to generate a control signal based on the velocity data. The system also includes a tactile velocity indicator. The tactile velocity indicator includes a frame that defines an opening therein. The tactile velocity indicator also includes a haptic element, at least partially protruding from the opening so as to be touchable by a passenger of the vehicle via the opening. The tactile velocity indicator also includes an electric motor configured to drive the haptic element in response to the control signal to move relative to the frame according to a haptic element velocity that corresponds to the sensed vehicle velocity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Franziska Lang, Martin Francisco, Eric Brown, Matthew Potter, Paul Ferraiolo, Ross Carmichael