Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Scott A Friedman

Roger Akira Kyle

Nishikant Narayan Puranik

Prince R Remegio

Luke D Heide

Tim Uwe Falkenmayer

Ryoma Kakimi

Luke Alan Rippelmeyer

Christopher M Bulpitt

Daniel Charles Folick

Laura E Bower

Daniel K Lim

Arlo C Eitzer

Jonathan J Sander

Jared Michael Farnsworth

Takehito Yokoo

Andrew G Sata

Ron J Toth

Rathin Karhu

Systems and methods are provided to modularizing a device. In various embodiments, the harness in provided that accommodates many different configurations of the modules. The harness may function as a single element that needs to be replaced and/or connected to accommodate different configurations of modules. The harness may be modular. In various embodiments, unused lines of the harness are capped. In various embodiments, the cap completes a circuit, so that the control system interprets the systems as functioning despite the unused line, whereas the control system may shutdown the system is the unused line is left uncapped. In various embodiments, the harness is used to send control signals to elements of parallel power systems that have high voltage systems that are electronically isolated from one another.

Modular fuel cell system architecture and harness

Systems and methods are provided for modularizing a system. Parallel power systems having electronically isolated high voltage systems facilitate modulization. A control system is provided that optimizes the distribution of a power demand and/or a torque request so as to keep the efficiency, durability, drivability and/or safety of the system within an optimum range. In some cases, the distribution of power is uneven, so as to extend the battery life, while in other cases, the power draw on battery systems are kept equal and constant so as to properly manage the state of charge of the parallel power systems. In still other cases, the chosen power distribution keeps the power demand and/or torque request between minimum and maximum levels/capacity, and the power distribution avoids on/off of an individual power system.

Modular fuel cell system architecture and a control system for distributing power to the modules

A system for controlling DC-to-DC converters connected in parallel can include a first DC-to-DC converter, a second DC-to-DC converter, and a controller. The first DC-to-DC converter can be connected between a first node and a second node. The first DC-to-DC converter can be configured to maintain a voltage level at the second node. The second DC-to-DC converter can be connected between the first node and the second node. The controller can be configured to measure a current through the first DC-to-DC converter. The controller can be configured to cause, in response to a measure of the current being in a specific relationship with respect to a threshold current, a change in electric power being conveyed through the second DC-to-DC converter to cause the second DC-to-DC converter to respond to a subsequent change in electric power being conveyed through the second node.

Controlling DC-to-DC converters connected in parallel

Systems and methods for sending content are provided. One embodiment of a method includes identifying content provided to a user, receiving an indication that the user desires to share the content to a recipient, and determining a content provider that provided the content to the user and a preferred content provider of the recipient. Some embodiments are configured for determining an address associated with the recipient and providing instructions for the preferred content provider to provide the content to the recipient.

Systems and methods for sending content

The present disclosure relates to an automotive virtual personal assistant configured to provide intelligent support to a user, mindful of the user environment both in and out of a vehicle. Further, the automotive virtual personal assistant is configured to contextualize user-specific vehicle-based and cloud-based data to intimately interact with the user and predict future user actions. Vehicle-based data may include spoken natural language, visible and infrared camera video, as well as on-board sensors of the type commonly found in vehicles. Cloud-based data may include web searchable content and connectivity to personal user accounts, fully integrated to provide an attentive and predictive user experience. In contextualizing and communicating these data, the automotive virtual personal assistant provides improved safety and an enhanced user experience.

Automotive virtual personal assistant

A mounting system is provided for positioning a battery in a vehicle, particularly between frame rails of a vehicle chassis. The system includes a battery housing that may include a base portion on which at least one battery is placed, a cover portion, and a side wall perimeter portion extending between the base portion and cover portion. A plurality of mounting brackets are coupled to the battery housing and configured for removably securing the battery housing to a structural component of the vehicle in a manner that allows for limited movement of the structural component, such as minor twisting of frame rails, without the displacement of the battery housing. Each mounting bracket may include at least one flexible portion that is elastically positioned to conform to a shape of at least a portion of the structural component. Methods for securing the battery housing in a vehicle chassis are also disclosed.

Battery mounting bracket for heavy duty vehicle

A method, a system, and non-transitory computer readable medium for vehicle sharing are provided. The method includes receiving a user request via a ride share agent. The ride share agent is communicatively coupled to a server. The method further includes identifying a vehicle from one of ride share providers based on the user request, retrieving one or more settings associated with one or more systems of the identified vehicle from the server, determining a setting of a system of the identified vehicle based on at least one physical characteristic of the user when the setting of the system is not stored in the server, and implementing the one or more settings on the identified vehicle.

System and method for vehicle sharing

A method and system for selecting a point of interest are provided. The method includes receiving a user request from a vehicle user, determining a wait time for each of a plurality of points of interest, identifying a point of interest from the plurality points of interest based on the user request and the determined wait times at the plurality of points of interest, receiving a user input from the vehicle user, and updating navigation directions of a vehicle based on the identified point of interest when the user input includes an acknowledgment of the identified point of interest.

System and method for selecting a point of interest based on wait time

A vehicle virtual assistance system include one or more processors, one or more memory modules communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, a microphone communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the microphone receives acoustic vibrations, and machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules. The vehicle virtual assistance system receives, through the microphone, a voice request for a meal from a user of a vehicle, determines a recipe for the meal based on the voice request, retrieve one or more ingredients based on the recipe, locates a store within a predetermined distance from the vehicle, and transmits an instruction related to the one or more ingredients to a store.

Vehicle virtual assistance systems for expediting a meal preparing process

Methods and systems for communicating with a vehicle companion are disclosed. The vehicle companion can include receiving state information about an operator and environmental information about a vehicular environment. A cognitive load and a cognitive requirement can be determined using the state information and the environmental information, respectively. The cognitive load and the cognitive requirement are then compared to determine if an intervention indicator exists. The vehicle companion can then enter into conversation with the operator in response to the intervention indicator, including topics selected based on the operator's personality.

Co-pilot and conversational companion

A method and device are provided to monitor a wireless link state for an electric-powered vehicle, and comparing the wireless link state with a wireless-link trigger condition. When the wireless link state compares favorably with the wireless-link trigger condition, a thick-client application request may be transmitted based on the wireless-link trigger condition. A thick-client application load is received in response, and the thin-client application is transitioned to a thick-client application.

Network cloud load distribution for an electric vehicle application

Methods, systems, and vehicle components for providing a corrected pronunciation suggestion to a user are disclosed. A method includes receiving, by a microphone communicatively coupled to a processing device, a voice input from the user, the voice input including a particularly pronounced word. The method further includes comparing, by the processing device, the particularly pronounced word to one or more reference words in a reference table, determining, by the processing device, that the particularly pronounced word has been potentially mispronounced by the user based on the one or more reference words in the reference table, determining, by the processing device, a corrected pronunciation suggestion from the one or more reference words, and providing, via a user interface, the corrected pronunciation suggestion to the user.

Systems and methods for determining correct pronunciation of dictated words

Systems, methods, and vehicle components for determining user frustration are disclosed. A method includes receiving, by a microphone communicatively coupled to a processing device, a voice input from a user, the voice input corresponding to an interaction between the user and a voice recognition system and including indicators of the user frustration. The method further includes determining, by the processing device, that the user is frustrated from the indicators, connecting, by the processing device, the user to a call center operator, transmitting, by the processing device, data to a call center computing device associated with the call center operator, the data corresponding to a user input and/or a vehicle response that resulted in the user frustration, receiving, by the processing device, commands from the call center computing device, and executing, by the processing device, processes that correspond to the commands.

Growing community of inventors

Dallas, TX, United States of America

Scott A Friedman