Vehicle Patents (Class 703/8)
  • Patent number: 8370019
    Abstract: A friction coefficient between at least one tire of a motor vehicle and a roadway is estimated recursively. A kingpin inclination angle is detected or measured. A model determines a lateral friction value by defining a functional correlation between that value and the angle such that a non-linear course of that value relative to the angle is dependant on an initial increase of that value relative to the angle and on a recursively determined estimated value of the friction coefficient. The initial increase is defined substantially independently from the recursively determined estimated value. In addition, a measurement variable of the driving dynamics is captured. Depending on the lateral friction value, the driving dynamics model variable is determined. Furthermore, a variance between the driving dynamics measurement variable and the driving dynamics model value is determined. The recursion when acquiring the estimated value includes that the estimated value is adjusted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH
    Inventors: Ning Bian, Jens Fiedler, Celine Gamulescu, Andreas Mayer
  • Patent number: 8364454
    Abstract: A system and method for dynamically checking clearance within a geometric mesh model includes a user computer system having a remotely located computer system, and a data storage device. The method periodically updates a digital model of assembled component parts stored on the data storage device, interactively selects a predetermined clearance rule applicable to the digital model and interactively selects a predetermined clearance condition applicable to the selected clearance rule for the digital model that modifies the predetermined clearance rule. The method periodically calculates clearance within the assembled digital model using the selected clearance rule and the selected clearance condition and summarizing the clearance check. The clearance check summary identifies a clearance issue using a predetermined clearance checking criteria and submits the identified clearance issue to an issue manager software program for tracking clearance issues.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Daniel Arbitter, David Roberts, Sejal Shreffler, Vincent Pesch, William Putnam
  • Patent number: 8364339
    Abstract: A method and device for creating an accurate simulation or model of the performance of a vehicle or an internal combustion engine in accordance with the invention comprises accessing the engine on-board diagnostic port (OBD), reading data from the desired industry standard parameter indicators (PID), using these data to produce a basic simulation of the engine operating characteristics, accessing and reading non-industry standard PIDs and using the output from the basic simulation in order to identify the non-industry standard PIDs with a high degree of certainty.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: Lysanda Limited
    Inventors: Alexander Edward Willard, Emmanouil Hatiris
  • Patent number: 8364456
    Abstract: A system generates a state diagram model in a graphical modeling system, where the state diagram model includes at least one state. A condition statement is associated with the at least one state, and defines a condition upon which one or more actions associated with the at least one state are executed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2013
    Assignee: The MathWorks, Inc.
    Inventors: Vijaya Raghavan, Zhihong Zhao
  • Patent number: 8356471
    Abstract: According to one representative embodiment, an apparatus for controlling reductant dosing in an SCR catalyst system having a reductant injection system configured to inject reductant into an exhaust gas stream includes a controller, an actual reductant dosing rate module, and a reductant doser compensation module. The controller is configured to determine a reductant dosing rate command representing a desired reductant dosing rate. The actual reductant dosing rate module is configured to determine a predicted actual reductant dosing rate based at least partially on the reductant dosing rate command. The reductant doser compensation module is configured to determine a modified reductant dosing rate command based at least partially on the predicted actual reductant dosing rate. The reductant injection system injects reductant into the exhaust gas stream at a rate corresponding to the modified reductant dosing rate command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2013
    Assignee: Cummins IP, Inc.
    Inventors: John N. Chi, Weiwen Wang, Phanindra Garimella, Joe V. Hill
  • Patent number: 8359127
    Abstract: A server communicates with one or more work machines and automated guided vehicles (AGVs) via a wireless network. When receiving a request signal for desired material, the server analyzes the request signal to determine a location of the work machine, and searches for an AGV according to basic information of a production scene stored a storage device. The server further generates a control command according to the location of the work machine, a starting location of the searched AGV, and arrangement information of AGV tracks obtained from the basic information, and controls the searched AGV to move to the location of the work machine according to the control command, to delivered the desired material carried by the searched AGV to the work machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2013
    Assignees: GDS Software (ShenZhen) Co., Ltd., Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chi-Chih Wang, Rui-Jun Wang, Zhi-Long Li, Yao-Feng Li
  • Patent number: 8346517
    Abstract: A method implements hybrid type simulation serving to validate an inertial unit of a moving body on board an angular movement simulator by comparing a trajectory of the moving body as calculated in a real navigation environment with at least one reference trajectory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: MBDA France
    Inventor: Laurent Bourzier
  • Patent number: 8340949
    Abstract: A vehicle test system includes an occupant positioning module that receives a virtual vehicle and a virtual dummy. The occupant positioning module generates a first set of parameters based on the virtual vehicle, the virtual dummy and a first adapted vehicle standard. N groups receive the first set of parameters. N is an integer greater than 1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Chrysler Group LLC
    Inventors: Vinayakumar Kasimsetty, Gunasekar Tj, Yun Lu
  • Patent number: 8340896
    Abstract: A road shape recognition device includes: distance and height detecting means for detecting distance data having a distance and height in real space regarding a road surface where a vehicle is traveling at multiple mutually different points; approximation line calculating means for dividing the plurality of distance data into near and far groups as viewed from the vehicle to calculate an approximation line of the distance data for each group each time the distance data of the boundary portion between the two groups is transferred from one of the groups to the other; statistics calculating means for calculating statistics from the corresponding approximation line for each group where the distance data is transferred; and road shape model generating means for selecting one out of combinations of the approximation lines to generate a road shape model using the selected combination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2012
    Assignee: Fuji Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toru Saito
  • Patent number: 8332192
    Abstract: Systems and methods for arithmetic modeling of large scale engineer-to-order production systems using asynchronous stochastic learning curve are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method for simulating a production system configured to produce a product includes, for a plurality of components, assigning learning curve parameters for an asynchronous stochastic learning curve associated with each component. Master schedule data for manufacturing a plurality of the product are received, and production of the plurality of components a plurality of cycles corresponding to the plurality of the product is simulated. The results of the simulated productions are output for analysis. In a further aspect, the product is an aircraft, and the components are aircraft components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventor: Roberto F. Lu
  • Patent number: 8326590
    Abstract: A method for simulating a movement zone of a robot having at least one data processing installation, simulating at least one movement path of the robot, comprises providing a number of selectable points on the at least one movement path of the robot, calculating a braking path for each of the selectable points, calculating a virtual movement zone based on the braking paths and a maximum position reachable by the robot for the respective at least one movement path, and carrying out the simulation of functions of the robot off-line using a software module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: ABB Technology AG
    Inventors: Soenke Kock, Adam Loeschner, Christoph Winterhalter, Kevin Behnisch, Roland Krieger
  • Patent number: 8321800
    Abstract: Methods are provided for creating dynamic lists from selected areas of a power system of a utility company. The utility company has an energy management system with a control panel. The energy management system is used to access one or more source displays of a site. Rubber-banding or lassoing is used to create selected areas from at least a portion of the source displays. Lists are dynamically created. Operator defined information is displayed for each element type in a list of network elements from the selected areas that have been rubber-banded or lassoed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Areva T & D, Inc.
    Inventors: Gennaro Castelli, Michael Hackett, Michael Quinn Howard, Lawrence Edmund Jones, HuiChu Su Shung, Heath Daniel Brand
  • Publication number: 20120296614
    Abstract: A method for setting function parameters of a control unit for a motor vehicle, in which at least one target variable is predefined in a weighting characteristics map, the target variables representing a behavior of the motor vehicle, and an assignment to a model of optimum parameters being provided in the weighting characteristics map so that predefined target variables are assigned to a set of optimum parameters which are set as the function parameters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2010
    Publication date: November 22, 2012
    Inventors: Martin Johannaber, Maximilian Reger
  • Patent number: 8315847
    Abstract: A wave form tile in the form of a natural wave, is provided to replace traditionally smooth surfaces to aid in more efficient shedding of a fluid medium. The wave form tile is also applied to proportionally spherical fractal surfaces defined for the surface of a vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Inventor: Eric Thomas Schmidt
  • Patent number: 8311782
    Abstract: A method of routing the physical links of a avionics platform inside an aircraft. A physical link connects a plurality (N) of equipment units and is composed of one or more branches, where each branch of the link connects a sender equipment unit to a receiver equipment unit. The method makes it possible to minimize the total cabling length of the platform and, where applicable, to choose among various positions of the equipment units inside the aircraft and/or various routing graphs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS
    Inventor: Frédéric Minot
  • Patent number: 8311784
    Abstract: Provided is a method of designing a coaxial dual-tube type hot gas duct for a very-high-temperature reactor. When determining the outer diameter of an inner tube and the inner diameter of a pressure tube, both of which defines an annular part of the hot gas duct having a dual-tube shape, one selected from hydraulic heads, flow rates, and hydraulic heads of very-high-temperature helium gas flowing to a very-high-temperature region and low-temperature helium gas flowing to a low-temperature region is taken into consideration as well as is a relation of about heat balance model, so that it is possible to minimize flow induced vibrations caused by the flow of a fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute
    Inventors: Kee-Nam Song, Yong-Wan Kim, Jong-Wha Chang, Won-Jae Lee
  • Patent number: 8306797
    Abstract: Certain exemplary embodiments can comprise obtaining and analyzing data from at least one discrete machine, automatically determining relationships related to the data, taking corrective action to improve machine operation and/or maintenance, automatically and heuristically predicting a failure associated with the machine and/or recommending preventative maintenance in advance of the failure, and/or automating and analyzing mining shovels, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Industry, Inc.
    Inventors: Ken Furem, Daniel W. Robertson, Gopal Madhavarao
  • Patent number: 8306790
    Abstract: An acoustic characteristics optimization model analysis apparatus includes a finite element model generation unit; a boundary element model generation unit; an acoustic transfer function calculation unit; a nodal point association unit; and a sound pressure calculation unit that incorporates the plurality of nodal points of the finite element model correlated with the plurality of nodal points of the boundary element model by the nodal point association unit into the acoustic transfer function calculated by the acoustic transfer function calculation unit to calculate a sound pressure transmitted from the finite element model to the predetermined position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignees: Aisin AW Co., Ltd., Vanderplaats R & D Inc.
    Inventors: Takanori Ide, Masaki Otomori, Yohei Kitamura, Iku Kosaka
  • Patent number: 8306791
    Abstract: A method for modeling the performance of a gas turbine engine is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Sampath K. Yerramalla, Steven Wayne Butler, William Donat
  • Publication number: 20120271607
    Abstract: A system includes a host application configured to receive a component model representing a vehicle component. The component model includes a body having a concave portion and/or a convex portion that defines a fluid retainer. A detection tool in communication with the host application is configured to determine a size and location of the fluid retainer. The detection tool is further configured to associate the size of the fluid retainer to a design rule and calculate a value representing a minimum hole size that will allow fluid to flow into or out of the fluid retainer in accordance with the design rule.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2011
    Publication date: October 25, 2012
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Robert Bruce Tilove, Narahari K. Hunsur
  • Patent number: 8296111
    Abstract: A simulation system is provided. A simulator is configured to execute simulation of a simulation object at a processing speed. A user interface module is configured to generate at least one of a first operation screen for inputting simulation conditions on the simulation executed by the simulator and an output screen for representing a result of the simulation executed by the simulator, and to display the at least one of the first operation screen and the output screen on a display unit. An adjustor is configured to adjust an updating speed of the at least one of the first operation screen and the output screen which are displayed on the display unit by the user interface module to be different from the processing speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited
    Inventor: Yuu Moriyama
  • Patent number: 8296110
    Abstract: A forming speed determination method for determining a forming speed of a press-processing device with a plurality of measurement points on a sheet material to conduct press-forming of the sheet material with a press-processing device at a predetermined forming speed. Strain states at respective points on the press-formed sheet material are plotted on a forming limit diagram including the forming limit curve of a sheet material to produce a strain distribution chart. Subsequently, the closest point to the forming limit curve among the points is defined as a specific measurement point. When this specific measurement point is located in the bulge region, the forming speed of a press-processing device is decreased to be slower than the above-mentioned predetermined forming speed. Meanwhile, when this specific measurement point is located in the draw region, the forming speed of a press-processing device is increased to be faster than the above-mentioned predetermined forming speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuichi Nagai, Hideo Meguri
  • Publication number: 20120265698
    Abstract: In one embodiment, the present invention includes a computer-implemented method to collect information to determine damage to a vehicle involved in a collision using photogrammetric techniques. When determined, this vehicle damage information, which may be in the form of crush measurement information such as a crush damage profile, can be displayed in a computer-generated view of the subject vehicle with a crush damage profile and used to estimate the impact severity. In some embodiments, based on the photogrammetric information derived, a direction of any shifting of the vehicle's components may be obtained and used along with other information to estimate a principal direction of force (PDOF) for one or more vehicles involved in the collision. Still further embodiments may be used to generate and/or audit repair estimates based at least in part on the photogrammetric information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2012
    Publication date: October 18, 2012
    Inventors: Scott D. Kidd, Darrin A. Smith
  • Publication number: 20120265509
    Abstract: A mobile aircraft emulation system comprising communications hardware and data processing hardware. The communications hardware is configured for use in an aircraft and to establish a communications link with an airport network data processing system. The data processing hardware is configured for use in the aircraft to run a number of software aircraft parts and exchange information with the airport network data processing system using the communications link. The number of software aircraft parts is configured for use in the aircraft.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2011
    Publication date: October 18, 2012
    Applicant: THE BOEING COMPANY
    Inventors: David Sam Mier, Richard Bruce Butenko, Kenneth Casimir Krzyzewski, Timothy M. Mitchell
  • Patent number: 8290752
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for designing an automotive vehicle, wherein an automotive module is an automotive vehicle part (1, 2) or a group of automotive vehicle parts, comprising: the step of modeling the automotive modules; the step of mapping the automotive module models; the step of integrating, in a modeling assembly, the links (3) between the automotive modules, which is realized directly between the modules and neither between their models nor between their mappings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Peugeot Citroen Automobiles SA
    Inventors: Jeremy Walter-Martin, Bruno Hazet, Celine Godard, Jerome Mortain, Laurent Houillon
  • Patent number: 8290661
    Abstract: Disclosed is a simulation test system and method for testing a vehicle electronic component capable of easily testing performance of the electronic component anytime regardless of location without repeating the same driving test.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventors: Jin Gon Han, Joon Sang Kim, Myung Sung Choi, Sung Hwan Jang
  • Patent number: 8286420
    Abstract: A DPF accumulation amount estimating apparatus uses an integrated PM accumulation amount estimation logic which combines the difference between an engine PM emission amount and a PM regeneration amount and a DPF differential pressure model, thereby achieving minimized influences of changes in an exhaust gas flow rate and the like with resultant improved estimation accuracy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Kazunari Ide
  • Publication number: 20120259604
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for simulating the movements of a virtual vehicle, a user being in physical contact with a simulator including a force-feedback haptic interface, wherein said physical contact corresponds to at least one physical point of contact between the haptic interface and the body of the user that is representative of a virtual point of contact between the user and the virtual vehicle. Said method comprises at least two steps. A first step involves determining a linear acceleration vector (formula (I)) and a linear velocity vector (formula (II)) at the virtual point of contact between the user and the virtual vehicle, said vectors being representative of the movement of the vehicle at said point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2010
    Publication date: October 11, 2012
    Applicant: CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE (C.N.R.S.)
    Inventors: Nizar Ouarti, Anatole Lecuyer, Alain Berthoz
  • Patent number: 8285659
    Abstract: A method for modeling error-driven adaptive control of an aircraft. Normal aircraft plant dynamics is modeled, using an original plant description in which a controller responds to a tracking error e(k) to drive the component to a normal reference value according to an asymptote curve. Where the system senses that (1) at least one aircraft plant component is experiencing an excursion and (2) the return of this component value toward its reference value is not proceeding according to the expected controller characteristics, neural network (NN) modeling of aircraft plant operation may be changed. However, if (1) is satisfied but the error component is returning toward its reference value according to expected controller characteristics, the NN will continue to model operation of the aircraft plant according to an original description.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: The United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA)
    Inventors: Nilesh V. Kulkarni, John T. Kaneshige, Kalmanje S. Krishnakumar, John J. Burken
  • Patent number: 8280663
    Abstract: A computer-aided method suitable for calculating the position of a mobile surface of an object such an aircraft that moves through a fluid medium, which is affected by at least an upstream or downstream object component, for achieving a predetermined value Vo of a predetermined object performance target, including the following steps: preparing a computer-implemented CFD model of the object having said mobile surface in a first position; solving the CFD model and obtaining the value Vi of said object performance target; if the difference between Vi and Vo is greater than a predetermined value, modifying the CFD model changing the position of the mobile surface in the CFD model and iterating the solving step. The invention also refers to a system for carrying out the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Airbus Operations S.L.
    Inventors: Carlos Artiles Albelda, David Perdones Díaz, Valentín De Pablo Fouce
  • Patent number: 8275591
    Abstract: A crane planner for planning an operation of a crane, in particular a crawler crane, with a central planning unit which comprises a central database with data on the usable cranes and a calculation module for calculating the load moments occurring during the operation, wherein the simulation and calculation of the operations is executed by the central planning unit and the input and output of data is effected via clients, the clients communicating with the central planning unit via the Internet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: Liebherr-Werk Nenzing GmbH
    Inventors: Armin Hübler, Ronny Türtscher, Rene Battlogg
  • Publication number: 20120226483
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a power source, a motor, and a computing device. The power source provides electrical energy to the motor, and the motor generates rotational motion from the electrical energy received. The computing device is configured to estimate a temperature of the motor in real time based at least in part on a thermal model of the motor. The thermal model includes a plurality of nodes and at least one thermal resistance. Each node represents a region of the motor and each thermal resistance represents a heat transfer path between at least two of the nodes. A method includes solving one or more energy balance equations to determine a temperature change at each node and estimating the temperature of the motor in real time based at least in part on the temperature change at each node and at least one of the thermal resistances in the thermal model.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2011
    Publication date: September 6, 2012
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Daniel J. Berry, Pankaj Mithal, Paul F. Turnbull, Peter J. Savagian, Chia-Chou Yeh, Steven E. Schulz
  • Patent number: 8255174
    Abstract: A method and device for determining critical buffeting loads on a structure of an aircraft is disclosed. The device (1) comprises means (2, UC) implementing a semi-empirical method for determining the critical loads generated by some buffeting on the structure of the airplane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Airbus Operations (SAS)
    Inventors: Guillermo Jenaro Rabadan, Juliane Havas, Stéphane Soumillon, Carole Despre-Flachard
  • Publication number: 20120209579
    Abstract: Techniques involving modeling and analysis of operational metrics in transportation industries are disclosed. Representative methods involve defining a set of fuel consumption performance factors having a potential to impact vehicle fuel economy. Fuel consumption performance factors are received, and categorical variables are identified from at least a subset of the fuel consumption performance factors to create one or more categorical groupings. The fuel consumption performance factors associated with at least one of the categorical groupings are processed to identify a hypothetical maximum fuel economy or “baseline” for the at least one of the categorical groupings, and to identify fuel economy deduction coefficients based on the fuel consumption performance factors that adversely impact the hypothetical maximum fuel economy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 2, 2012
    Publication date: August 16, 2012
    Inventors: Thomas S. Fansler, Ronald Edward Konezny
  • Publication number: 20120203528
    Abstract: A simulator used in a distributed process simulation includes: a storage unit configured to store map information, agent information, and area allocation information; a simulation execution unit; a condition determination unit configured to determine the condition of the reference agent to be referenced by the simulation execution unit based on a movement state of the agent; an allocation discrimination unit configured to discriminate another computer allocated an area in which the reference agent corresponding to the condition can be located; and an agent information acquisition unit configured to acquire the information about the agent satisfying the condition of the reference agent from the other discriminated computer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2012
    Publication date: August 9, 2012
    Applicant: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventors: Takuro IKEDA, Eiji Kitagawa, Hiroshi Yamada
  • Publication number: 20120197618
    Abstract: A system and method for vehicular networking and applications visualization comprises selecting a simulation area, converting the selected simulation area to graph representation, eliminating streets outside the simulation area, generating, using the graph representation, vehicles and random vehicle traffic in the simulation area, calculating vehicle movement in coordinates, transforming the calculated coordinates into a format compatible with a general purpose communication networking simulation tool, simulating, using the transformed calculated coordinates and the general purpose communication networking simulation tool, an application, and performing visualization of the simulation. The application can be local traffic information, the vehicle movement and communication among the vehicles. The simulation can be at least 2000 seconds and communication can be disruption tolerant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2011
    Publication date: August 2, 2012
    Applicants: Toyota InfoTechnology Center, U.S.A., Inc., Telcordia Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Marcus Pang, Wai Chen, Jasmine Chennikara-Varghese, Yibei Ling, Rama Vuyyuru, Junichiro Fukuyama
  • Patent number: 8229716
    Abstract: Computer implemented methods and systems using a multidimensional Monotonic Lagrangian Grid (MLG) to sort and order locations of aircraft, are used for simulating, controlling, and optimizing aircraft traffic systems. The MLG is combined with algorithms for collision detection and resolution, separation assurance, and updating aircraft trajectories, and applied to test cases of the air transportation system. Physical locations describing aircraft traffic moving in complex paths are stored into a data structure of the multidimensional MLG algorithm. The moving aircraft traffic platforms are sorted and ordered on a grid structure in real space and in an indexing space, causing a monotonic mapping between indices of the grid structure and locations describing the plurality of moving aircraft. Computer operations using data stored in the multidimensional MLG determine control strategies for aircraft separation assurance and optimum routes to circumvent blockages in transport paths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Carolyn R. Kaplan, Elaine S. Oran, Natalia Alexandrov, Jay P. Boris
  • Patent number: 8229880
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for performing acid fracturing operations of an oilfield. The method includes obtaining a plurality of historical data of acid fracturing treatments of the oilfield, generating a neural network based on the plurality of historical data, identifying a stimulation parameter, in the neural network, associated with optimal performance of the acid fracturing treatments, and establishing a best practice procedure for performing the acid fracturing operations based on the stimulation parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Alexandre Boulatsel, Matteo Giovannoli
  • Patent number: 8229712
    Abstract: An FEM analysis system is provided which is capable of analyzing with high accuracy and within a short time in a drop shock analysis of electronic devices in which a very small mesh size is incorporated. Processing to be performed by an optimal solution selecting and analyzing section includes a step of checking whether an analysis to be performed is a shock analysis, a step of searching for a minimum mesh size when the analysis to be performed is judged to be a shock analysis, a step of creating a simplified analysis model using the minimum mesh size, a step of performing a preliminary analysis on a simplified model by an implicit method and explicit method, and a step of selecting either of the implicit method or explicit method as an optimal analysis method by comparing results from preliminary analysis, results from these analyses and experiments or exact solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Ichiro Hirata
  • Publication number: 20120179442
    Abstract: A computing device includes a host application and an analytical tool. The host application is configured to present an interface to a user and allow the user to modify a component model. The component model includes a three-dimensional representation of at least a portion of a vehicle component and has a virtual housing at least partially defining an internal cavity. The analytical tool is configured to generate a solid body representing the internal cavity and calculate a volume of the solid body. The analytical tool is further configured to determine whether the internal cavity is bounded by the virtual housing of the component model.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2011
    Publication date: July 12, 2012
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Richard A. Pashnik, David Wilkinson, Gregory Chessky
  • Patent number: 8219369
    Abstract: A method determines overlap regions by identifying a face on a first component part of an assembly that is less than a specified gap distance from a face on a second component part of the assembly. The method is also for determining if a minimum width of each of one or more the overlap regions exceeds a specified maximum value, and if the minimum width of an overlap region does not exceed the specified maximum value, determining a guide curve along a centerline of the overlap region. If the minimum width of an overlap region exceeds the specified maximum value, the method is further for determining two or more guide curves along an offset of two or more edges of the overlap region. The method also is for determining one or more joint locations along the guide curve or curves based upon one or more parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Sofrware Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas R. Thompson, Jr., Anthony J. Salerno
  • Patent number: 8214069
    Abstract: The present invention is a method and apparatus for automatically generating an optimal configuration of a product having a complex design, using logic implemented on a digital computer processing system. A general configuration for the product will be broken down into a hierarchy of subdesigns by a designer of an artifact type, such as a bus. A particular instance of the product type must satisfy a set of external parametric constraints specified by a user. These constraints may take the form of a range of values for some performance characteristic of the product. Constraints may also be imposed for other reasons, such as governmental regulations or business requirements. The hierarchical decomposition facilitates the solution of highly complex problems. Criteria for a best solution may be specified for a given subdesign, for a collection of subdesigns, or globally. The tentative selection of a particular subdesign may impose internally generated parametric constraints upon a subsequent subdesign solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Certusoft, Inc.
    Inventors: Sermet Yücel, William D. Headrick, Samuel E. Martin, M. Germana Paterlini
  • Publication number: 20120166167
    Abstract: A method of improving the high-speed uniformity of tire performance that reduces low and/or high harmonics. The method includes determining a force variation that is created by rotation of a first tire, having a first tread design, at high speed. A second order harmonic of the force variation is analyzed. A second tire design is generated that circumferentially shifts one or more ribs of the first tread design to minimize the second order harmonic alone or in combination with other order harmonics.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2010
    Publication date: June 28, 2012
    Applicant: THE GOODYEAR TIRE AND RUBBER COMPANY
    Inventors: Tao Song, Karl Eric Sundkvist
  • Publication number: 20120166154
    Abstract: A dynamometer may be configured to simulate the rotating inertial characteristics of a wheel-tire assembly slipping relative to a road surface and having rotating inertial characteristics different than the rotating inertial characteristics of the wheel-tire assembly being simulated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2010
    Publication date: June 28, 2012
    Applicant: HORIBA INSTRUMENTS, INC.
    Inventors: Donald Bryce Johnson, Norman Malcolm Newberger, Isaac Cohen Anselmo
  • Patent number: 8209157
    Abstract: Methods and systems for simulating beam-to-surface contacts in finite element analysis (FEA) are disclosed. A FEA model contains at least one beam element and at least one surface mesh. Surface mesh comprises a plurality of two-dimensional finite elements having arbitrary mesh density. A minimum characteristic length (CL) of the surface mesh is calculated. One or more interior points are defined for those beam elements with length longer than CL. For every nodal point (i.e., end nodes and interior points if any), a parametric coordinate between 0 and 1 inclusive is established and kept constant throughout the FEA analysis. Distributed nodal masses are used for calculating a stiffness value for calculating nodal force to resist penetration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Livermore Software Technology Corporation
    Inventor: John O. Hallquist
  • Patent number: 8209159
    Abstract: A method for reconstructing gusts and/or structural loads at aircraft, in particular passenger aircraft. The method includes generating an observer on the basis of a nonlinear model of the aircraft which describes the movement of the aircraft in all six degrees of freedom (DoF) and the elastic motion of the aircraft structure; continuously supplying all the data and measurements substantial for the description of the state of the aircraft to the observer; and calculating the gust velocities and structural loads (maneuver and gust loads) by the observer from the supplied data and measurements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH
    Inventors: Lars Bensch, Hermann Henrichfreise, Juergen Jusseit, Ludger Merz
  • Patent number: 8200463
    Abstract: A method of simulating a tire rolling on a road at a certain speed by using a computer apparatus 1 comprises the steps of: modeling a flexible tire model 2 for numerical calculation by using finite elements having at least one elastic element (step S1), changing at least one elastic element of the flexible tire model 2 to rigid elements so as to make a rigid tire model 5 (step S6), accelerating the rigid tire model 5 (step S7), returning the elasticity of each element of the rigid tire model 5 into the original elasticity when the speed of the rigid tire model 5 has reached the certain speed (step S8), and obtaining at least one physical parameter related to the flexible tire model 2 (step S10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Sumitomo Rubber Industries, LTD.
    Inventors: Kenji Ueda, Masaki Shiraishi
  • Patent number: 8195345
    Abstract: The method for generating an integrated guidance law for aerodynamic missiles uses a strength Pareto evolutionary algorithm (SPEA)-based approach for generating an integrated fuzzy guidance law, which includes three separate fuzzy controllers. Each of these fuzzy controllers is activated in a unique region of missile interception. The distribution of membership functions and the associated rules are obtained by solving a nonlinear constrained multi-objective optimization problem in which final time, energy consumption, and miss distance are treated as competing objectives. A Tabu search is utilized to build a library of initial feasible solutions for the multi-objective optimization algorithm. Additionally, a hierarchical clustering technique is utilized to provide the decision maker with a representative and manageable Pareto-optimal set without destroying the characteristics of the trade-off front. A fuzzy-based system is employed to extract the best compromise solution over the trade-off curve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals
    Inventors: Hanafy M. Omar, Mohammad A. Abido
  • Publication number: 20120136639
    Abstract: A method for simulating deformation of a body element of a motor vehicle that occurs during an impact event includes providing a model of the body element that includes an initial load distribution pattern. A first simulation output is generated during a first portion of the impact event using the initial load distribution pattern and includes data indicative of the deformation of the body element. Whether a portion of the body element is in a failure condition is determined based on the first simulation output. If a failure condition is determined, the load distribution pattern of at least a portion of the body element is updated, and a second simulation output including data indicative of the deformation of the body during a second portion of the impact event is generated using the updated load distribution pattern.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2010
    Publication date: May 31, 2012
    Applicant: NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventor: Naga A. Narayana
  • Publication number: 20120136640
    Abstract: A performance evaluation method of a vehicle member includes a calculation process for performing an analysis using a partial structure CAE model modeling a module where a member of a vehicle to be evaluated and a collision test device for conducting a collision test on the member are combined, and obtaining a value of a collision performance evaluation parameter in the partial structure CAE model; a calculation process for determining a boundary condition of the partial structure CAE model; a calculation process for determining a test condition of a member collision test device based on the boundary condition of the partial structure CAE model; and a test process for conducting a collision test using a physical member collision test device and a physical member, based on the set condition of the member collision test device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2010
    Publication date: May 31, 2012
    Applicant: NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasunori Ito, Kazuyuki Kawano, Yasuharu Tanaka, Hiroshi Yoshida, Toshiyuki Kanda, Satoshi Hirose