Patents Examined by Anne M Antonucci
  • Patent number: 10415987
    Abstract: Presented are techniques of identifying, processing and displaying data point clusters (850, 851) associated with map information (200) in an efficient manner. Methods and systems are disclosed which process map information (200) to identify clusters (850, 851) of requested data points for display (1020), based on iterative clustering and filtering of the data points. Methods and systems are also disclosed which generate polygons (1860, 1861, 1901-05) representing the clusters. The amount of data to be processed and/or displayed can be reduced, without loss of any associated information content in a displayed map.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventors: Steve Chien, Mark Yinan Li, Marc Schaub, Benjamin Anderson, James Aspinall, Zhou Bailiang, Ruwen Hess
  • Patent number: 10407179
    Abstract: A vehicle system includes a control unit with a weather module configured to receive weather data and to identify a wind shear zone at a location based on the weather data, the weather module further configured to generate wind shear coordinate data and wind shear characteristic data based on the weather data. The control unit further includes a display module configured to generate display commands based on the wind shear coordinate data and wind shear characteristic data from the weather module. The vehicle system further includes a display device coupled to receive the display commands from the control unit and configured to display a three-dimensional forward perspective view corresponding to a vehicle environment. The display device is further configured to display first wind shear symbology within the view at a position that indicates the location of the wind shear zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Jayasenthilnathan B, Saravanakumar Gurusamy, Madhava Gadicherla, Roger Burgin
  • Patent number: 10406917
    Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for vehicle cruise control smoothness adaptation. An example vehicle includes a GPS receiver for receiving expected road incline data, a camera for determining a half lane width position, and a radar for determining two respective leading vehicle angles of arrival. The vehicle also includes a processor for determining an actual road incline by filtering the expected road incline, half lane width position, and leading vehicle angles of arrival. And the processor is further for modifying a cruise control system based on the actual road incline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ali Hassani, Alexandra Taylor, Nitendra Nath
  • Patent number: 10408138
    Abstract: A method for functional monitoring of an apparatus for variable setting of a cylinder compression in a reciprocating-piston internal combustion engine is described, including ascertaining a value of an engine parameter which is indicative of an engine position of the internal combustion engine at a defined cylinder compression; comparing the ascertained value with a further value of the engine parameter; and determining, depending on a result of the comparison, whether the apparatus for variable setting of the cylinder compression is functioning correctly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Pascal Gladel, Bernd Kesch, Holger Jessen
  • Patent number: 10407085
    Abstract: A train travel prediction device includes a required time database that records a station-to-station required timetable created in advance between stations and indicating a relation of a time difference between a last station departure time of a target train and a next station departure time of a precedent train with respect to a required time of the target train to a next station by the use of a train simulation on the basis of a train moving condition and an operation prediction unit that creates a prediction schedule on the basis of information of the required time acquired for each target train during a prediction period by referring to the station-to-station required timetable recorded in the required time database on the basis of information of a train schedule and a train arrival-departure time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Kawabata, Yusaku Nagasaki, Koki Yoshimoto
  • Patent number: 10407062
    Abstract: A driving assistance apparatus includes a host vehicle information acquisition device configured to acquire host vehicle information including a vehicle speed of a host vehicle and a signal indicating that braking force is applied to the host vehicle by a braking device of the host vehicle, a target information acquisition device configured to acquire target information including a relative position of a target present on the periphery of the host vehicle for the host vehicle, an advancing direction of the target, and a speed of the target, and an electronic control device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuji Ikedo, Tomonori Akiyama, Ryo Morishita
  • Patent number: 10409284
    Abstract: Systems, apparatus and methods may be configured to implement actively-controlled light emission from a robotic vehicle. A light emitter(s) of the robotic vehicle may be configurable to indicate a direction of travel of the robotic vehicle and/or display information (e.g., a greeting, a notice, a message, a graphic, passenger/customer/client content, vehicle livery, customized livery) using one or more colors of emitted light (e.g., orange for a first direction and purple for a second direction), one or more sequences of emitted light (e.g., a moving image/graphic), or positions of light emitter(s) on the robotic vehicle (e.g., symmetrically positioned light emitters). The robotic vehicle may not have a front or a back (e.g., a trunk/a hood) and may be configured to travel bi-directionally, in a first direction or a second direction (e.g., opposite the first direction), with the direction of travel being indicated by one or more of the light emitters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: Zoox, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy David Kentley-Klay, Rachad Youssef Gamara
  • Patent number: 10410527
    Abstract: A system and method for operating an automated aerial vehicle are provided wherein influences of ground effects (e.g., which may increase the effective thrusts of propellers by interfering with the respective airflows) are utilized for sensing the ground or other surfaces. In various implementations, operating parameters of the automated aerial vehicle are monitored to determine when ground effects are influencing the parameters associated with each of the propellers, which correspondingly indicate proximities to a surface (e.g., the ground). Utilizing such techniques, proximities of different portions of an automated aerial vehicle to the ground or other surfaces may be determined (e.g., for detecting issues with an uneven landing area, a sloped ground, etc.).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Amir Navot, Brian C. Beckman, Daniel Buchmueller, Gur Kimchi, Fabian Hensel, Scott A. Green, Brandon William Porter, Severan Sylvain Jean-Michel Rault
  • Patent number: 10407186
    Abstract: A method of controlling the attitude of a spacecraft in spinning around itself with a non-zero total angular momentum HTOT. The spacecraft includes a set of inertia flywheels configured to form an internal angular momentum HACT. The axis of the total angular momentum HTOT is aligned with a principal axis of inertia of the spacecraft, in the course of which the inertia flywheels are controlled to form an internal angular momentum HACT. The following expression, in which J is the inertia matrix of the spacecraft: Hact×J?1(Htot?J?1Htot) is negative if the principal axis of inertia targeted is the axis of maximum inertia of the spacecraft and is positive if the principal axis inertia targeted is the axis of minimum inertia of the spacecraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE SAS
    Inventors: Nicolas Cuilleron, Philippe Laurens, Valerio Moro
  • Patent number: 10407148
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a method and device for controlling energy-saving sailing of a ship. The method comprises the steps of changing the operating parameters of the ship correspondingly when the resistance of the ship changes during routine sailing, controlling the current opening degree of a throttle to increase the instantaneous oil supply amount of a main engine of the ship if the resistance of the ship becomes smaller, and controlling the current opening degree of the throttle to reduce the instantaneous oil supply amount of the main engine of the ship if the resistance of the ship becomes larger. Compared with the prior art, the method and device have the advantages that energy waste is reduced greatly and the sailing cost is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Inventor: Jiefeng Ni
  • Patent number: 10408632
    Abstract: Navigation method and system are provided. The navigation method may include: a vehicle mounted system, which includes a storage device and a display, receiving a Turn-by-Turn navigation guidance instruction from a mobile device which has a navigation program running thereon; the vehicle mounted system selecting at least one guidance logo, stored in the storage device, according to the received Turn-by-Turn navigation guidance instruction; and the vehicle mounted system presenting on the display the at least one selected guidance logo. More vehicles can provide navigation with help of the mobile device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: HARMAN INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRIES, INC.
    Inventors: Ping Zhou, Xiaopei Huang, Wenping Xiao
  • Patent number: 10408220
    Abstract: A method is provided for operating a fluid conveying device of a motor vehicle having at least one aerodynamic bearing. The method reduces the rotational speed of the aerodynamic bearing to a rest speed, wherein the rest speed is below a lifting speed, in which case the bearing builds up an air film for bearing free of mixed friction, and wherein the rest speed is above a lowering speed, in which case the bearing has reduced the air film such that mixed friction occurs. The fluid conveying device is operated at the rest speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Johannes Schmid, Simon Grilc, Fabian Brandl
  • Patent number: 10399564
    Abstract: A first phantom vehicle is projected into one of a branch and a circle lane of a roundabout in association with a first autonomous vehicle. The first autonomous vehicle is caused to enter the circle lane upon predicting no collision with oncoming vehicles. The first autonomous vehicle is caused to exit from the roundabout.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Perry Robinson MacNeille, Yimin Liu, David Charles Weber
  • Patent number: 10401859
    Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure relate to detecting and responding to stop signs. An object detected in a vehicle's environment having location coordinates may be identified as a stop sign and, it may be determined whether the location coordinates of the identified stop sign correspond to a location of a stop sign in detailed map information. Then, whether the identified stop sign applies to the vehicle may be determined based on the detailed map information or on a number of factors. Then, if the identified stop sign is determined to apply to the vehicle, responses of the vehicle to the stop sign may be determined, and, the vehicle may be controlled based on the determined responses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Inventors: David Harrison Silver, David Ian Franklin Ferguson, Abhijit S. Ogale, Wan-Yen Lo
  • Patent number: 10401185
    Abstract: An apparatus acquires a first piece of trajectory information from among plural pieces of trajectory information, and acquires a first planar graph from among one or more planar graphs. The apparatus generates a second planar graph, based on the first planar graph and plural pieces of position information included in the first piece of trajectory information, and extracts, from among the plural pieces of trajectory information, second pieces of trajectory information indicating trajectories passing a difference portion between the first and second planar graphs. For each of candidate graphs each obtained by excluding a reduction set of edges from the second planar graph, the apparatus calculates optimality of the each candidate graph with which an addition set of trajectories indicated by the first and second pieces of trajectory information are associated, and outputs one of the candidate graphs determined based on the calculated optimality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: FUJITSU LIMITED
    Inventors: Hiroya Inakoshi, Hiroaki Morikawa, Tatsuya Asai, Junichi Shigezumi
  • Patent number: 10401856
    Abstract: A vehicle running control apparatus capable of enabling a vehicle to more easily follow a target running state and improving the running stability of the vehicle is provided. A running state obtaining unit obtains the actual running state (actual running path or running position) of a vehicle. A target running state setting unit sets the target running state (target path or target position) of the vehicle. A deviation obtaining unit obtains a deviation of the actual running state from the target running state. A running support controller performs running support control of the vehicle such that the running state of the vehicle becomes identical or closer to the target running state. At this time, a correction unit makes the target running state closer to the actual running state as the deviation becomes greater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Mori, Kuniaki Matsushima
  • Patent number: 10399545
    Abstract: A method of operating a vehicle (2) which recurrently travels along the same routes (1) with defined stopping points (3) along each of the routes (1). The parameters for operation of the vehicle (2) along the routes (1) are specified, on the basis of which the vehicle (2) can be braked, before the stopping points (3), and brought to rest at the stopping points (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Volker Vogel, Arnold Schlegel
  • Patent number: 10392039
    Abstract: To provide a wireless train control system that can perform a stable operation. The wireless train control system controls a wireless-control compliant train following a wireless-control noncompliant train by a ground control device. A stop limit point of the wireless-control compliant train is set by a track circuit in which a tail end position of the wireless-control noncompliant train is present. By using a track-circuit state signal indicating that the track circuit is turned on or turned off and a time-element-added track-circuit state signal indicating turn-off at a timing delayed by a set time after the track-circuit state signal has indicated turn-off, when the track-circuit state signal indicates turn-off and the time-element-added track-circuit state signal indicates turn-on, it is determined that turn-off indicated by the track-circuit state signal is caused by the wireless-control compliant train that is a train itself being present, and the stop limit point is not updated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masashi Asuka, Atsushi Takami
  • Patent number: 10391922
    Abstract: Techniques for drone device control are provided. In one example, the technique includes monitoring, by a drone device operatively coupled to a processor and allocated to a vehicle in operation, one or more conditions associated with the vehicle. The technique also includes, in response to identifying, by the drone device, a defined condition of the one or more conditions: moving, by the drone device, to a position relative to the vehicle and determined based on the defined condition; and performing, by the drone device, an indication operation determined based on the defined condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michael S. Gordon, James Robert Kozloski, Clifford A. Pickover
  • Patent number: 10391842
    Abstract: A computing system for a vehicle includes one or more processors and a memory for storing data and program instructions usable by the one or more processors. The one or more processors are configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to determine if a virtual straight line connecting a predetermined location within a vehicle with a light source external to the vehicle passes through a window of the vehicle. If the straight line passes through a window, it is determined if the straight line will pass through any deployable vehicle shade if the shade is deployed. If the straight line will pass through a shade if the shade is deployed and the shade through which the straight line will pass is not already deployed, the vehicle may be operated so as to deploy the shade through which the straight line will pass if the shade is deployed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventor: Danil V. Prokhorov