By Indirect Detection Means (e.g., Height Measurement) Patents (Class 340/443)
  • Patent number: 11864745
    Abstract: A surgical robot system includes a robot having a robot base and a robot arm coupled to the robot base, and a surgical retractor. The surgical retractor includes a retractor frame, a coupler, blades, a force and/or torque sensor, and a force and/or torque feedback determination unit. The retractor frame includes arms that are translatably and/or pivotably connected to the retractor frame. The coupler releasably attaches the retractor frame to the robot arm. The blades are each coupled to and extend away from a distal end of one of the arms. The force and/or torque sensor is connected to the blades and indicates an amount of force and/or torque being applied to the blades from contact with material of a surgical site. The force and/or torque feedback determination unit determines the amount of force and/or torque being applied to the blades based on the indication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Globus Medical, Inc.
    Inventors: Adam Friedrich, Neil R. Crawford, Kevin Zhang, Sanjay Joshi, Norbert Johnson, Weston Healy
  • Patent number: 11667162
    Abstract: An apparatus configured to determine the pressure of an aircraft tire at a reference temperature. The apparatus includes a processing system configured to: obtain a measured tire pressure and a measured temperature associated with the measured tire pressure; and determine a tire pressure at the reference temperature by adjusting the measured tire pressure using a predetermined temperature characteristic, a square root of the measured temperature and a square root of the reference temperature. The predetermined temperature characteristic is a gradient of the relationship between square root of temperature and tire pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: AIRBUS SAS
    Inventor: Anand Puntambekar
  • Patent number: 11361597
    Abstract: A method and system of diagnosing the integrity of a sealed air tube of a pedestrian protection system of a vehicle is provided. The method provides the sealed air tube having a pressure sensor connected at each end of the air tube. The air tube is constructed and arranged to be located in front fascia of a vehicle. A processor circuit is electrically connected with the pressure sensors and the processor circuit has a Fast Fourier Transform element. Natural frequencies of a frequency spectrum of the air tube are obtained when no leak is known to be present in in the air tube. Signals from the pressure sensors are transformed into the frequency domain with the Fast Fourier Transform element. A leak is determined to be present in the air tube if frequencies other than the natural frequencies exist in the frequency spectrum of the air tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Manuel Leopoldo Wario Vazquez, Diego Preciado
  • Patent number: 11093766
    Abstract: Systems, methods and apparatuses to detect an item left in a vehicle and to generate an alert about the item. For example, a camera configured in a vehicle can be used to monitor an item associated with a user of the vehicle. The item as in an image from the camera can be identified and recognized using an artificial neural network. In response to a determination that the item recognized in the image is left in the vehicle after the user has exited the vehicle, an alert is generated to indicate that an item is in the vehicle but the user is leaving the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Poorna Kale, Robert Richard Noel Bielby
  • Patent number: 10821786
    Abstract: A run-flat tire insert for installation in a pneumatic tire mounted on a rim. The insert is a one-piece toroidal member formed from expanded polymer foam beads molded into a structural foam part. The insert has an inner diameter surface sized to fit snuggly about a periphery of a tire rim and an outer diameter sized to fit within a tire cavity. The insert is spaced from the tire inner casing surface during normal operation and supports the tire inner casing surface away from the rim in the event of a flat tire. A molding apparatus and a method of forming a run-flat tire insert is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Inventors: Richard W. Roberts, John E. Nemazi
  • Patent number: 10789789
    Abstract: A monitoring system is configured to monitor a vehicle and perform the action of receiving first sensor data that reflects an environmental condition in the vehicle. The monitoring system is configured to perform the action of determining that the environmental condition in the vehicle satisfies an environmental condition threshold. The monitoring system is configured to perform the action of, based on determining that environmental condition in the vehicle satisfies an environmental condition threshold, identifying, by the monitoring system, a second sensor that is located on a travel path of the vehicle. The monitoring system is configured to perform the action of transmitting, to the second sensor, instructions to capture second sensor data that is associated with the vehicle. The monitoring system is configured to perform the action of receiving, from the second sensor, the second sensor data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: Alarm.com Incorporated
    Inventor: Kara Edman
  • Patent number: 10744827
    Abstract: An indirect tire pressure monitoring (WSB TPMS) method includes establishing a wheel speed reference value database using a vehicle speed, and correcting the real-time wheel speed through tire wear compensation, and then based on a comparative analysis of the real-time wheel speed and the wheel speed reference value, determining the degree of tire deflection deformation and tire safety, and to give an alert message prompt based on the tire pressure abnormality information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Inventor: Jianzhong Fu
  • Patent number: 10449812
    Abstract: Cold check gas pressure readings for the landing gear tires of an aircraft are obtained automatically during normal operation of the aircraft. The automated system (S1, e.g.) includes monitoring aircraft data to determine that the aircraft is at rest on the ground (32,345,36), and electronically monitoring the tire pressure (24). When predetermined cold check conditions have been met; the tire pressure values are automatically stored with a timestamp (38) for later access by a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: ELDEC Corporation
    Inventors: Bradley Smith, Mark Finefrock, Jeffrey Green, Jonathan Lumb
  • Patent number: 10336142
    Abstract: Provided is a device for detecting a low-pressure state of a predetermined tire, comprising an index value calculation unit, a resonance frequency calculation unit and a low-pressure detection unit. The index value calculation unit calculates a low-pressure index value from wheel speed information of front and rear tires, the low-pressure index value being obtained by comparing rotation speeds of the front and rear tires. The resonance frequency calculation unit calculates a resonance frequency from wheel speed information of a tire. The low-pressure detection unit eliminates an influence of an imposed load on a vehicle and detects the low-pressure state of the predetermined tire based on: a predetermined parameter that indicates a linear relationship between the resonance frequency and the low-pressure index value under a low-pressure condition of the predetermined tire; the low-pressure index value thus calculated; and the resonance frequency thus calculated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Kento Yamashita, Mitsuhiro Wada, Yusuke Maeda
  • Patent number: 10239367
    Abstract: A wheel parameter resolving system, apparatus and method are disclosed and described. The wheel parameter resolving system comprises a wheel unit configured to sense radial acceleration in a wheel, the wheel comprising a rim and a tire, the rim having a diameter, and a transmitter configured to transmit a transmit signal indicative of sensed radial acceleration, a controller configured to resolve a rotation parameter indicative of the rim diameter in response to the sensed radial acceleration, and a receiver configured to receive a receive signal based on a transmit signal indicative of sensed radial acceleration, the receiver communicatively coupled to the controller. Resolving the rotation parameter comprises calculating the rotation parameter based on the sensed radial acceleration and a predetermined roll parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Alexander Fink, Jean-Christophe Deniau
  • Patent number: 10175147
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for checking tires for vehicle wheels. A tire to be checked is fed to a checking station. A sidewall of the tire lies on a supporting portion of a rotating table. The supporting portion lies on a plane while the rotating table has a rotation axis perpendicular to the plane. A centring operation is carried out to align, in the plane, the rotation axis of the tire with the rotation axis of the rotating table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: PIRELLI TYRE S.P.A.
    Inventors: Vincenzo Boffa, Luca Tersi, Valeriano Ballardini
  • Patent number: 10078892
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for analyzing tires of a vehicle utilizing camera images from one or more cameras mounted on the vehicle (or infrastructure). In one example, the method includes obtaining camera images of one or more tires of a vehicle, utilizing one or more cameras that are mounted on the vehicle, during operation of the vehicle; and processing the camera images, via a processor, in order to generate an analysis of one or more of the tires based on the images that were obtained via the one or more cameras that are mounted on the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Jinsong Wang, Bakhtiar B. Litkouhi
  • Patent number: 10077982
    Abstract: A system includes a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) module coupled with a wheel on a vehicle and a vehicle navigation system of the vehicle. A method entails determining a movement signal at the TPMS module and receiving the movement signal at the vehicle navigation system. The vehicle navigation system includes an inertial sensor system configured to supply motion signals indicative of motion of the vehicle and the vehicle navigation system determines output data in response to the motion signals. The vehicle navigation system output data is calibrated at the vehicle navigation system by utilizing movement signals from the TPMS module to remove an error component from the vehicle navigation system output data. Thus, calibration can be performed in lieu of or in addition to utilizing signals from satellites, which may not be available at all times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: NXP USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Albert Stanislavovich Chekanov, David Blake Munsinger, Matthew Wayne Muddiman
  • Patent number: 9924077
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a camera for a vehicle and a control method for the same and an exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a camera for a vehicle which is provided in any one of a plurality of designated installation positions of the vehicle, including: an image sensor which generates a driving image; a receiving unit which receives a plurality of RF signals which are transmitted from a TPMS sensor unit which detects states of a plurality of tires included in the vehicle; and a position determining unit which determines which position among the plurality of installation positions is a position where the camera is installed, based on the plurality of RF signals which is received by the receiving unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: HYUNDAI MOBIS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Heung Rae Cho
  • Patent number: 9857464
    Abstract: A signal processor for processing target echo signal is provided. The signal processor includes a filter configured to generate a filtered echo signal by extracting echo signal components within a predetermined frequency band from the target echo signal, a high resolution signal generator configured to generate a high resolution signal based on the target echo signal, and a synthesizing module configured to synthesize the filtered echo signal with the high resolution signal. The high resolution signal has higher resolution than the filtered echo signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: Furuno Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kohei Kozuki
  • Patent number: 9753131
    Abstract: A motion tracking system makes use of a number antennas to transmit and receive radio frequency signals that are reflected from objects (e.g., people) in the environment of the system, which may include one or more rooms of a building, the interior of a vehicle, etc., and may be partitioned, for example, walls or cloth sheets. In general, the objects in the environment include both fixed objects, such as chairs, walls, etc., as well as moving objects, such as but not limited to people. The system can track people, who may be moving around a room, or may be relatively stationary, for instance, sitting in a chair of lying in bed, but may nevertheless exhibit breathing motion that may be detected. The system may detect body or limb gestures made by the people in the environment, and detect physical activity including detection of falls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Fadel Adib, Zachary Edward Kabelac, Dina Katabi
  • Patent number: 9310932
    Abstract: Disclosed are an electronic device, a wireless power reception apparatus, and a display device. The electronic device, which is equipped with a wireless power receiving apparatus to wirelessly receive power from a wireless power transmission apparatus, includes a signal receiving part to receive a signal required to operate the electronic device, and a wireless power signal removing part to remove a signal having a frequency used for wireless power transmission among signals received in the signal receiving part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: LG INNOTEK CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Su Ho Bae
  • Patent number: 9307123
    Abstract: A noise reduction apparatus includes an input unit to input a captured image signal from a capturing unit. An acquisition unit acquires, according to a user operation, a temporal noise signal of the capturing unit based on the captured image signal. An estimation unit estimates an ideal image signal that has no noise, based on the captured image signal and the temporal noise signal. A removing unit removes a temporal frequency component higher than a predetermined threshold from each of the estimated ideal image signal and the acquired temporal noise signal. A generating unit generates a filter used for temporal noise reduction for a captured image signal in accordance with an added signal obtained by adding the ideal image signal from which the temporal frequency component has been removed by the removing unit and the noise signal from which the temporal frequency component has been removed by the removing unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Satoshi Ikeda
  • Patent number: 9204508
    Abstract: LED decorative light comprising DC power supply, main controller, and LED light chains; said main controller consists of key switch, crystal oscillating access circuit, and main control chip, with said key switch and crystal oscillating access circuit connected to said main control chip respectively; said main control chip pulse width modulation end outputs variable duty ratio PWM; said crystal oscillating circuit is used to provide instruction cycle required for main control chip; and said key switch is used to control operating state of main control chip; wherein said main controller also includes a voltage adjustment circuit, used to adjust DC power supply voltage to the value required for LED light chains, with input end of this circuit connected to said DC power supply, its control end connected to pulse width modulation end of said main control chip, and its output end connected to LED light chain input end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Inventors: Guoguang Zhang, Xiuhong Zhang
  • Patent number: 9193223
    Abstract: System and methods for indicating a tire pressure condition are disclosed. Some systems and methods include receiving, by a control unit comprising a processor and a tangible, non-transitory memory, a tire pressure data, determining, by the control unit, a relationship of the tire pressure data to a predetermined tire pressure, and causing, by the control unit, an output device to display a value in accordance with the relationship, wherein the output device is externally located on an aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: Goodrich Corporation
    Inventors: Steven Thomas Keller, Paul L. Summers, Eric Daniel Cahill
  • Patent number: 9139052
    Abstract: Embodiments relate to a control unit comprising a data input to receive wheel rotation data from each of a plurality of fixed wheel rotation sensors associated with a wheel of a vehicle and acceleration samples from a plurality of wheel units. The control unit includes a processor to localize each of the plurality of wheel units to a particular wheel of the vehicle from a joint processing of the wheel rotation data and the acceleration samples.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2015
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Christoph Steiner, Ralf Schledz
  • Patent number: 9134832
    Abstract: A portable electronic device comprises a proximity-sensing user interface and a controller. The proximity-sensing user interface is configured to capture position information and distance information. The controller is coupled to the proximity-sensing user interface and is configured to process first distance information (31) captured by the proximity-sensing user interface during a pre-determined touch action, to determine whether a material layer (25) is interposed between the user's skin and the proximity-sensing user interface. The controller is configured to selectively set an input mode from a first input mode to a second input mode when the first distance information indicates that no material layer (25) is interposed between the user's skin and the proximity-sensing user interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Mobile Communications AB
    Inventors: Henrik Baard, Andreas Sandblad
  • Patent number: 9085203
    Abstract: A vehicle tire load sensing system includes distance sensors mounted on the vehicle near each tire. The distance sensors generate distance signals representing a distance from the sensor to a track that is left in the soil during forward vehicle travel. Pressure sensors generate tire pressure signals. A temperature sensor senses the ambient temperature. A control unit receives the distance signals, the pressure signals and the temperature signals. The control unit compensates the distance signals as a function of the sensed temperature. The control unit generates filtered distance signals, and determines a tire deflection value from the filtered distance signal. The control unit determines the tire load as a function of the tire deflection value, the pressure signal and stored information relating tire load to tire deflection and tire pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2015
    Assignee: DEERE & COMPANY
    Inventors: Steven A. Duppong, Bruce L. Upchurch
  • Patent number: 9061554
    Abstract: A tire position determination system includes a tire pressure detector coupled to a tire. A tire position determination unit locates the tire pressure detector and determines a mounting position of the tire. A gravitational component force detection unit generates gravitational force information of the tire pressure detector. A characteristic value acquisition unit acquires the angle of the tire pressure detector from the gravitational force information. The characteristic value acquisition unit acquires a first characteristic value of the tire pressure detector when a drive source of the vehicle is stopped and a second characteristic value of the tire pressure detector when the drive source is started. A characteristic value comparator compares the first and characteristic values. An operation control unit determines whether the mounting position of the tire has been changed based on the comparison and controls the tire pressure monitoring unit accordingly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOKAI RIKA DENKI SEISAKUSHO
    Inventor: Masanori Kosugi
  • Patent number: 9024743
    Abstract: A receiver device is tuned to monitor for first transmissions at a first time according to a first criterion and to monitor for second transmissions at a second time according to a second criterion. When the receiver device initially recognizes one of the first transmissions being transmitted according to the first criterion or the second transmissions being transmitted according to the second criterion, the recognized transmission is verified as being valid. When the transmission is recognized as valid, a transmission apparatus is activated to transmit an indication to a receiver so that a localization process can be executed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Continental Automotive System, Inc.
    Inventors: Jean-Christophe Deniau, Brian J. Farrell
  • Patent number: 9008903
    Abstract: The present disclosure presents a wheel diameter variation-detecting device capable of properly detecting relative variation in diameter between a plurality of wheels of a vehicle. The wheel diameter variation-detecting device can detect variation in diameter between a plurality of wheels of a vehicle, can detect rotational speeds of the respective wheels, and can calculate a variation parameter indicative of variation in diameter between the wheels using one of the wheels as a reference wheel, based on a result of comparison between the rotational speed of the reference wheel and that of one of the wheels other than the reference wheel. Further, the wheel diameter variation-detecting device can learn the variation parameter based on a value obtained by averaging a plurality of values of the variation parameter obtained before the detected travelled distance reaches a predetermined distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Kurata, Takahiro Eguchi, Shuichi Fujimoto, Hirohiko Totsuka
  • Patent number: 8997561
    Abstract: An apparatus for detecting a decrease in tire pressure based on a resonance frequency of a tire installed in a vehicle includes rotation information detection means for detecting rotation information of the tire, resonance frequency estimate means for estimating the resonance frequency of the tire from the rotation information of the tire, and judgment means for judging the decrease in the tire pressure by comparison between the resonance frequency estimated by the resonance frequency estimate means and a reference frequency preliminarily determined by learning at the time of initialization. An effective speed region when the reference frequency is determined at the time of the initialization is a first speed or less. The apparatus further includes effective speed region change means for extending an upper limit of the effective speed region to a second speed which is larger than the first speed at the time of shifting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi Nomura, Seigou Sakagami, Hiroaki Kawasaki
  • Publication number: 20150091720
    Abstract: A device for detecting a pressure change in a tire includes a first temperature sensor located outside the tire, the first temperature sensor being configured to produce a first temperature signal indicative of a first temperature, an input apparatus configured to receive the first temperature signal from the first temperatures sensor, and to receive a second temperature signal from a second temperature sensor, the second temperature signal being indicative of a second temperature, and to receive a tire pressure signal from a tire pressure sensor, the tire pressure signal being indicative of a tire pressure of the tire, and a processor configured to output an evaluation signal including information about a change of tire pressure based on the pressure signal and based on the first temperature signal and the second temperature signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2014
    Publication date: April 2, 2015
    Applicant: AKTIEBOLAGET SKF
    Inventors: Jens Graf, Milen Kourtev
  • Patent number: 8988220
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for detecting an intruder inside a vehicle. The apparatus comprises a load sensor coupled to the vehicle, and a processor. The processor is coupled to the load sensor and is configured to monitor the load in the vehicle after the vehicle is vacated and locked and to determine if the load in the vehicle changes by more than a predetermined threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Craig R. Markyvech, Clark E. McCall
  • Patent number: 8981918
    Abstract: A warning system for a vehicle having an air suspension system can include an indicator, an event data recorder, and a controller. The controller can be configured to determine a load on a front axle and a rear axle when the vehicle is in a static condition and compare the determined load on the front and rear axles to a predetermined load threshold for each of the front and rear axles. A warning signal can be provided to the indicator indicative of at least one of the determined loads exceeding the corresponding predetermined load threshold upon the controller determining one of the determined loads exceeds the corresponding predetermined load threshold. Data indicative of at least one of the determined loads exceeding the corresponding predetermined threshold can be communicated to the event data recorder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2015
    Assignee: Chrysler Group LLC
    Inventor: Satish Panse
  • Patent number: 8970361
    Abstract: A wrong operation detection device is disclosed for monitoring whether or not a calibration start for determining an initial deflation index is issued in a tire pressure unadjusted state after a deflation warning in a tire pressure monitoring system for detection of deflation of a tire. The device includes comparison means for comparing a first deflation index serving as a deflation index at any time point in a period from issue of the deflation warning to vehicle stop after the issue of the warning, with a second deflation index serving as a deflation index obtained after the calibration start; detection means for detection of wrong operation of a reset button based on a comparison result by the comparison means; and warning means for issuing a warning when the detection means detects the wrong operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Seigou Sakagami, Yusuke Fukuba
  • Patent number: 8902056
    Abstract: A tire pressure monitoring system where the position and orientation of a receiver antenna associated with the tire pressure monitoring system is at a location that is proximate the tire pressure monitoring system. In one embodiment, the receiver antenna is positioned beneath a vehicle chassis. The location of the receiver antenna can be determined by system performance prediction tools that include mean-time-to-warning verses packet error rate curves for a desired packet error rate and packet error rate verses signal-to-noise ratio curves for various operational scenarios and different classes of vehicle that provides a necessary signal-to-noise ratio for a wireless link, and operational scenarios that established desired levels of performance and reliability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Vikas Kukshya, Hyok Jae Song, Hui Pin Hsu, Richard W. Wiese
  • Patent number: 8843269
    Abstract: Systems and techniques are provided for managing an interface between a machine or work vehicle and a surface that the machine/work vehicle travels on in order to provide an optimum work performance level that balances fuel efficiency and surface adversity. Fleet management and reporting capabilities pertaining to such interface management are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Noel Wayne Anderson, Larry Lee Hendrickson
  • Patent number: 8825267
    Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for detecting a tire pressure deviation in a tire of a vehicle by determining tire pressure indicating data indicative of a tire pressure condition of the tire and determining tire pressure deviation data indicative of a tire pressure deviation in the tire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Nira Dynamics AB
    Inventors: Markus Gerdin, Henrik Nilsson, Tony Gustafsson, Mats Löfgren
  • Patent number: 8775017
    Abstract: A method for wear control of vehicle tires, includes: detecting deformation of an inner surface of a first tire by means of a first sensor; determining a first level of wear of the first tire; detecting a deformation of an inner surface of a second tire by means of a second sensor; determining a second level of wear of the second tire; comparing the first and second levels of wear with each other; and generating a notification signal representative of the comparison. Also disclosed is a system for wear control of vehicle tires, a method of determining the wear of a tire and a system for determining the wear of a tire.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Pirelli Tyre, S.p.A.
    Inventors: Massimo Brusarosco, Federico Mancosu
  • Publication number: 20140167949
    Abstract: A tire separation warning system and method that includes a sensor that senses pressure of a tire and a receiver that calculates the amount of change in tire radius from the pressure of the tire received from the sensor. In addition, the receive estimates tire separation risk. A display warns a driver of the tire separation risk, when the tire separation risk is transmitted from the receiver.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2013
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY
    Inventor: Jong Ho Lee
  • Patent number: 8742911
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for monitoring the load of vehicle tires which are each contacting a pavement with a circumferential section during travel, by means of monitoring devices (4) which are mounted to the tire (1) and contain a transmitter and a generator which is driven by the flexion of the tire (1), said flexion occurring during vehicle operation, wherein the generator generates a first voltage pulse each time it reaches the beginning of the circumferential section of the tire (1), which is contacting the pavement, and generates a second voltage pulse each time it reaches the end of the circumferential section of the tire (1), which is contacting the pavement, the time intervals (t1) between first and second voltage pulses are measured, the time intervals (t1) or a value calculated therefrom are/is compared with a reference value, and a warning signal is generated if a difference detected in this comparison exceeds a predefined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Huf Hulsbeck & Furst GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Markus Wagner, Hendrik Troeger
  • Patent number: 8738280
    Abstract: Methods for pedestrian unit (PU) communication activity reduction in pedestrian-to-vehicle communication networks include obtaining safety risk information for a pedestrian at risk for involvement in an accident and using the risk information to adjust a PU communication activity. In some embodiments, the activity reduction is achieved without implementing understanding of surroundings. In other embodiments, the activity reduction is based on risk assessment provided by vehicles. In some embodiments, the activity reduction includes PU transmission reduction. In some embodiments the transmission activity reduction may be followed by reception activity reduction for overall power consumption reduction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Autotalks Ltd.
    Inventor: Onn Haran
  • Patent number: 8726724
    Abstract: A system detects deflated tires based on a resonance frequency of tires with a vehicle and a relative comparison value of rotation speeds of the tires. The system includes: a rotation information detection means for detecting rotation information of the tires; a rotation speed calculation means for calculating rotation speeds of the tires; a resonance frequency assumption means for assuming a resonance frequency of the tires; and a determination means for detection of deflated tires using a decreased pressure determination index calculated by a relative comparison of the rotation speeds of the tires and the resonance frequency. The determination means is so configured as to reduce the second threshold to be compared with the decreased pressure determination index to a value equal to or higher than 1% and equal to or lower than 90% and to detect deflated tires when the decreased pressure determination index exceeds the reduced threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignees: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd., Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuji Oshiro, Seigou Sakagami, Masashi Kitano, Hiroaki Kawasaki, Tomonori Sakai, Shinya Notomi, Kazunari Okada
  • Patent number: 8731826
    Abstract: A system and method improve guidance system performance. An accuracy improvement module (AIM) can be configured to compare observed and expected inclination compensation factors (ICFs) at a plurality of inclination angles to detect an inaccuracy in antenna height. In response to detecting an inaccuracy, an AIM can determine a revised antenna height that more accurately represents the height of an antenna above ground. A proposed antenna height can be determined using an observed ICF. A fixed vehicle body height can be subtracted from the proposed antenna height to provide a proposed tire radius. The proposed tire radius can be compared to a table of standard tire radii to determine a tire radius value, which can then be added to the fixed vehicle body height to provide a revised antenna height. The revised antenna height can improve the accuracy or calculated ground positions, thereby improving guidance system performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: AGCO Cor[poration
    Inventor: Paul Matthews
  • Patent number: 8680980
    Abstract: A blank tire pressure monitoring device includes a housing having an air valve at one end and connection terminals at an opposite end, a circuit board mounted in the housing and carrying a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, an acceleration sensor, an analog-digital converter electrically connected with the pressure sensor, the temperature sensor and the acceleration sensor, a general purpose I/O terminal unit electrically connected with the connection terminals of the housing; an embedded microcontroller module electrically connected with the general purpose I/O terminal unit and the analog-digital converter and having built therein a flash memory, a microcontroller core and a special-function register controller, a LF receiver electrically connected to the embedded microcontroller module, and a transmitter electrically connected to the embedded microcontroller module; and a method is still also disclosed for setting up a blank tire pressure monitoring device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Cub Elecparts Inc.
    Inventors: San-Chuan Yu, Chih-Ming Chiang, Yuan-Tung Hung, Chao-Ching Hu
  • Publication number: 20140070935
    Abstract: An instantaneous/real-time wireless dynamic tire pressure sensor (DTPS) for characterizing pavement qualities and for detecting surface and subsurface pavement defects under normal driving conditions. Signal processing provides quantitative assessment of surface conditions. DTPS includes a vehicle tire valve stem-mounted pressure sensor and wheel hub-mounted signal conditioning, amplification, and transmitting circuitry. A signal processing computer within the vehicle is wirelessly coupled to the hub-mounted circuitry. Tire pressure changes caused by ground vibration excitation from the interaction between the tire and pavement at normal driving speeds are detected. When acoustic radiation from a surface wave is significantly stronger than acoustic noise, subsurface information can be extracted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2013
    Publication date: March 13, 2014
    Applicant: NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Ming WANG, Qi WANG, Gregory J. MCDANIELS, Nian X. SUN
  • Patent number: 8634983
    Abstract: A method for indirectly monitoring tire pressure or for detecting damage to a wheel suspension, wherein a pressure loss detection variable (DVE) is determined using an analysis of a vibratory behavior of a wheel of a motor vehicle, and a pressure loss in the tire of the wheel or damage to the wheel suspension is detected by comparing a momentarily determined pressure loss detection variable (DVEakt) to a learned pressure loss detection variable (DVEsoll), wherein at least two dimensional variables are determined from a wheel speed signal (w) of the wheel, each representing a dimension for the extent of a frequency or a frequency range in the vibratory behavior of the wheel, and that the pressure loss detection variable (DVE) is derived from the two dimensional variables (e1, e2, e3), particularly from a ratio of the two dimensional variables (e2/e3), and a tire pressure monitoring system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co., OHG
    Inventors: Markus Irth, Daniel Fischer, Andreas Köbe, Christian Suβmann
  • Patent number: 8600607
    Abstract: The invention describes a method for allocating identifiers of wheel electronics of a tire pressure monitoring system to positions of wheels of a vehicle, the simultaneously occurring rotation speeds of the wheels, normalized on a consistently chosen rolling radius of the wheels differ during cornering because of the different positions of the wheels on the vehicle, so that the positions of the wheels can be sorted according to increasing speed of the wheels during cornering, the wheel electronics of each wheel comprising a pressure sensor, a motion sensor, a memory and a transmitter, which transmits signals to a receiver being connected to an evaluation device, which receives the transmitted identifiers and compares the distances which the corresponding wheels have traveled in a defined time span, sorts the identifiers according to the length of the distance traveled in the defined time span and allocates the identifiers to the wheel positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Huf Huelsbeck & Fuerst GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Ralf Kessler, Andreas Kraft, Markus Wagner, Juergen Schoenbeck, Peter Brand
  • Patent number: 8599044
    Abstract: The different advantageous embodiments provide an apparatus comprising a number of tires for a vehicle, a number of systems, and a number of processor units. The number of systems is configured to generate data about the number of tires and the vehicle. The number of processor units is configured to monitor the data and manage the health of the number of tires.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Jeanne C. Maggiore, Wayne R. Majkowski, David A. Followell
  • Patent number: 8576060
    Abstract: An apparatus for transmitting tire pressure signals includes a transmission buffer and a transmitter. The transmission buffer is configured to store tire pressure monitoring data. The transmitter is configured to transmit a signal including the tire pressure monitoring data. The signal includes a burst that includes plurality of frames and each of the frames includes the tire pressure monitoring information. A plurality of pause spaces is disposed between at least some of the frames in the burst.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Jean-Christophe Deniau, Brian J. Farrell
  • Patent number: 8547238
    Abstract: A system for confirming the detection of a fire using a plurality of radiation or flame sensors each equipped with a radiation detector and an optical filter having a spectral transmission characteristic in which at least one optical filter is redundant to at least one other optical filter. The result is a system having operationally redundant sensors. In use, if a fire is detected by one of the redundant sensors without including the other redundant radiation sensor in the fire detection calculation, then a fire detection algorithm can switch to the other operationally redundant sensor to check for confirmation of a fire. Due to the spatial separation and if the object is small and close, a different result will be obtained with the redundant detector being used in the calculation compared to the primary detector that is associated with the redundant detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: KnowFlame, Inc.
    Inventor: John Harchanko
  • Patent number: 8508354
    Abstract: An accelerator-off, fuel-cut traveling determining unit determines whether the number of engine revolutions of a vehicle is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, whether an accelerator opening rate is equal to or lower than a predetermined value, and whether a traveling state is an accelerator-off, fuel-cut traveling state where a quantity of fuel injection to an engine is 0. When it is determined that the traveling state is the accelerator-off, fuel-cut traveling state, the traveling distance adding-up unit adds up accelerator-off, fuel-cut traveling distances. A fuel-saving driving rating unit rates driving by a driver based on each of the added-up values which were added up by the traveling distance adding-up unit. A fuel-saving driving advice generating unit notifies the driver of a fuel-saving driving advice together with a rating result in accordance with the rating result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignees: Fujitsu Ten Limited, Toyota Jidoshakabushiki Kaisha, Aisin AW Co., Ltd, Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Harumoto, Kouei Kiyo, Shojiro Takeuchi, Naoki Miura, Masaki Nakamura, Hiroaki Sugiura, Yoshio Yamatani, Junichi Nonomura, Nobutaka Tauchi
  • Patent number: 8497771
    Abstract: A vehicle entry/tire pressure management system includes a plurality of tire sensors, a plurality of low frequency (“LF”) antennas and an ECU. Each tire sensor is mounted in a respective tire of the vehicle. Each LF antenna is mounted on the vehicle and is configured to transmit an LF field to wake up two tire sensors. Some antennas can also be configured to transmit a SMART entry LF search field to wake up a portable transmission/reception unit for keyless entry of the vehicle. The ECU is in communication with the tire sensors, via a receiver, and the LF antennas. The ECU is configured to receive identification signals from the respective tire sensors and to determine locations of the respective tire sensors based on which antenna woke up the tire sensor transmitting the respective identification signal and whether the respective identification signal matches other received identification signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Brian K. Lickfelt, Hideaki Arai, Nicky Strock
  • Patent number: 8494704
    Abstract: In indirect tire pressure monitoring of tires of a vehicle, the following steps and means to carry out the same, respectively, are contemplated:—providing a tire classification database indicating at least one classified tire type;—determining a vehicle tire type for the vehicle on the basis of vehicle data in including information on at least one tire currently used with the vehicle,—determining whether the vehicle tire type can be associated to one of the at least one classified tire type; and—, in the case an association is determined, monitoring tire pressure according to the associated classified tire type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Nira Dynamics AB
    Inventors: Peter Hall, Tony Gustavsson