Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080254746 | VOICE-ENABLED HANDS-FREE TELEPHONE SYSTEM FOR AUDIBLY ANNOUNCING VEHICLE COMPONENT INFORMATION TO VEHICLE USERS IN RESPONSE TO SPOKEN REQUESTS FROM THE USERS - A voice-enabled, hands-free telephone system includes an appliance, speakers, and a component connected to a communications bus of a vehicle. The component provides to the bus a signal indicative of a condition monitored by the component. During a call between a user using a Bluetooth enabled phone and another party the appliance wirelessly communicates voice signals from the user to the phone for transmission to the party and the appliance wirelessly receives voice signals of the party from the phone and outputs these signals to the speakers via the bus for the user to hear. In response to the user speaking a request for the status of the condition, the appliance obtains the component signal from the bus to determine the status of the condition and audibly announces a computerized voice signal indicative of the status of the condition through the speakers via the bus for the user to hear. | 10-16-2008 |
20080316006 | Method and System for Communicating Vehicle Diagnostic Data to Internet Server Via Bluetooth Enabled Cell Phone for Subsequent Retrieval - A method and system for communicating vehicle diagnostic data to a vehicle service provider employs sensors for generating sensor signals indicative of the status or condition of vehicle components. A diagnostics module in the vehicle generates diagnostic data based on the sensor signals and transfers the diagnostic data to a communications module of a hands-free phone system in the vehicle. The communications module wirelessly communicates the diagnostic data to a Bluetooth enabled cell phone in the vehicle using Bluetooth communications. The cell phone communicates the diagnostic data to an Internet server via the Internet. The provider accesses the diagnostic data from the Internet server using a computer connected to the Internet to determine if any of the vehicle components are in need of repair or maintenance. The provider notifies a user of the vehicle of any vehicle component that is in need of repair or maintenance. | 12-25-2008 |
20100279612 | Method of Pairing a Portable Device with a Communications Module of a Vehicular, Hands-Free Telephone System - A method of pairing Bluetooth™ enabled devices including a portable phone with a Bluetooth™ communications module of a vehicular, hands-free telephone system includes using vocal communications to prompt an operator of the phone to enter a given PIN number into the phone. The presence of any Bluetooth™ enabled devices within the vicinity of the communications module is searched. Vocal communications are used to prompt the operator to vocally state a name for the phone and to vocally state a pairing priority to be assigned to the phone. If the assigned pairing priority is not assigned to another Bluetooth™ enabled device, then the name and the pairing priority are associated with the phone. Communications between the communications module and the phone are then enabled if the phone has the highest pairing priority amongst all of the Bluetooth™ enabled devices present within the vicinity of the communications module. | 11-04-2010 |
20140253287 | Vehicle Remote Function System and Method for Effectuating Vehicle Operations Based on Vehicle FOB Movement - A vehicle remote function system is provided for use in effectuating vehicle operations based on movement of a fob relative to a vehicle. The system may include a controller for determining locations of the fob within zones proximate the vehicle based on ultra-wide band wireless signals transmitted between the antennas and the fob, the zones including a primary zone and secondary zones, each secondary zone at least partially within the primary zone. The controller may be configured to detect a movement of the fob between secondary zones and generate a control signal for use in effectuating a vehicle operation based on the movement detected. A method is also provided which may include transmitting ultra-wide band wireless signals between the fob and the antennas, detecting a movement of the fob between secondary zones, and generating a control signal for use in effectuating a vehicle operation based on the movement detected. | 09-11-2014 |
20140253288 | Vehicle Remote Function System and Method for Determining Vehicle FOB Locations Using Adaptive Filtering - A vehicle remote function system is provided for determining locations of a fob relative to a vehicle. The system may include a controller configured for communication with antennas mounted at different locations in the vehicle, the controller for use in determining locations of the fob based on ultra-wide band wireless signals transmitted between the antennas and the fob. The controller is configured to use a first filtering of the wireless signals to determine an initial location of the fob, and a second filtering of the wireless signals to determine a subsequent location of the fob. A method is also provided which may include transmitting ultra-wide band wireless signals between the fob and antennas mounted in the vehicle, using a first filtering of the wireless signals to determine an initial location of the fob, and using a second filtering of the wireless signals to determine a subsequent location of the fob. | 09-11-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080230036 | Roller actuator for a mechanical fuel pump - A fuel pump actuator comprising a body portion and a contact end fitted to the body portion for actuating a mechanical fuel pump in response to a camshaft lobe. A roller mounted to the body portion is configured to ride on the lobe. The contact end of the actuator engages a plunger of the fuel pump. The body portion of the actuator is preferably a body portion of a conventional hydraulic valve lifter and preferably includes a lash adjuster and is reciprocally disposed in a bore on the engine block. Lubrication of the reciprocating actuator is also similar to the lubrication provided to conventional valve lifters and lash adjusters. The contact end of the actuator is configured to reduce the mass of the actuator. Several styles of the contact end and ways of attaching the contact end to the body portion are provided. | 09-25-2008 |
20090126527 | Bearing design for a roller finger follower - A bearing design for a roller finger follower assembly includes an outer arm having a pair of openings, a shaft extending across the outer arm through the openings, a pair of lateral follower rollers mounted at opposite ends of the shaft; and a pair of bearings rotatably supporting the lateral follower rollers. The shaft is not a member of the bearing. Therefore, a force acting on the rollers travels through the rollers directly into the bearing and into the outer arm which reduces the potential for the rollers to become detached from the shaft. An inboard bearing design involves an inner bearing race integrated into the rollers. An outboard bearing design involves an inner bearing race integrated in the outer arm and an outer bearing race integrated into the rollers. | 05-21-2009 |
20100000476 | Anti-Rotation Feature for an Engine Tappet - An alignment feature for preventing in-bore rotation of an engine tappet. A first portion extends outwards from a tappet and a second portion extends into a hole in the tappet. The first portion extends longitudinally past the mounting hole such that when the feature and tappet are installed in an engine bore, the entire feature is prevented from rotation within the hole. The second portion extending orthogonally from the first portion into the mounting hole need not be close-fitting to the hole. The first portion may be substantially semi-cylindrical, having a convex cylindrical outer surface for fitting the walls of a semi-cylindrical channel in the engine bore and a concave cylindrical inner surface for fitting the outer wall of the tappet. The pin portion is preferably cylindrical. Other pin shapes are possible. The alignment feature may or may not be hardened. | 01-07-2010 |
20100275866 | Switchable Valve Lifter Having a Mis-Assembly Indicator - An improved SHVL for an internal combustion engine comprises an improved arrangement for locking a spring tower into a pin housing. The spring tower is provided with an annular OD groove as in the prior art. The pin housing ID groove is modified to have a two-step groove comprising two adjacent regions having different depths (different diameters) and having a distinct transition lip therebetween. A spring clip of the correct size seats properly in the spring tower groove and in the lesser-diameter pin housing groove, resulting in a correct overall length of the SHVL. Any oversize clip is caught between the lower lip of the spring tower groove and the transition lip of the two-step pin housing groove, resulting in a SHVL distinctly shorter than nominal, which is easily detected by either direct length measurement or a gauge. | 11-04-2010 |
20140251283 | MECHANICAL LIFTER - The mechanical lifter generally includes an inner lift member, an outer lift member, and a roller. The inner lift member is at least partly made of a metallic material. The outer lift member is at least partly made of a polymeric material and surrounds the inner lift member. The roller is rotatably coupled with respect to the inner lift member and is partly disposed within the inner lift member. The inner lift member is configured to move a first component in response to a force applied to the roller by a second component. | 09-11-2014 |