Patents Examined by Daniel L Greene
  • Patent number: 11231715
    Abstract: Method and system for controlling a vehicle that includes using velocity vectors of obstacles in the vehicle's environment to determining boundaries of the one or more obstacles and thereby generate a velocity space that may include velocity vectors for the vehicle and which are represented as collision cones. The using an identified velocity vector in combination with the velocity vectors of the one or more obstacles to produce a maximum motion in of the vehicle towards a target location while avoiding all determined collision cones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals
    Inventors: Haseeb Tahir, Uthman Baroudi, N. Mujahid Syed
  • Patent number: 11222529
    Abstract: A traveling assisting method for an ambulance vehicle includes the first to third steps. The first step is the step of causing a server to acquire an expected arrival time at which an ambulance vehicle arrives at a traffic intersection that is located on an expected traveling route of the ambulance vehicle. The second step is the step of causing the server to acquire an expected arrival time at which a vehicle arrives at the traffic intersection, when the vehicle is located in surroundings of the expected traveling route. The third step is the step of causing the server to transmit a restraint instruction to the vehicle to travel toward the traffic intersection and to restrain entry of a vehicle other than the ambulance vehicle into the traffic intersection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Naoki Kurokawa, Takenori Shimizu, Junya Watanabe, Jun Goto, Koji Kawasaki
  • Patent number: 11215472
    Abstract: An information providing device to be mounted on a vehicle. The vehicle includes control means and control means for transmitting, when the vehicle is controlled by automatic driving, a control signal for outputting route guidance information for informing a driver of the vehicle about a specified route by mechanical speech, and a control signal for outputting automatic driving guidance information for informing the driver of the vehicle about a route of the vehicle driven by automatic driving by a sound effect.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akira Iijima, Hironobu Sugimoto, Hiroaki Sakakibara
  • Patent number: 11209273
    Abstract: A celestial navigation system includes an optical device for receiving light from a celestial object, a spectrometer for measuring a spectrum of the light in sufficient detail to identify absorption and/or emission features, and a processor for processing the spectrum to match the spectrum, or a processed version thereof, against a set of reference spectra information in a database, a device for measuring the pointing direction of the optical device and a clock. The matching may be on a maximum likelihood basis. The system is thus able, on identification of a single star, and, using commonly available navigational almanacs, to calculate a geographical position. Celestial navigation takes place even when only one celestial object (that is also within the database) is visible, although improved accuracy may be obtained with multiple observations. Advantageously, the database includes stars of the K and/or M type, that have more characteristic spectral content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: QINETIQ LIMITED
    Inventors: Mark Anthony O'Dell, Stephen Barry Foulkes, Philip John Kent
  • Patent number: 11192581
    Abstract: A vehicle steering system includes a steering actuator which acts on steered wheels, an actuation unit, a feedback actuator to which a user request for a steering angle can be applied using a steering input means, which outputs a feedback signal to the steering input means in response to the request and a driving state of the vehicle. A signal transmission transfers the request to the actuation unit. The actuation unit actuates the steering actuator to deflect the wheels. When a monitor detects a malfunction of the feedback actuator as a fault situation, the feedback signal and the signal transmission is modified or generated according to multiple options.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignees: THYSSENKRUPP PRESTA AG, THYSSENKRUPP AG
    Inventor: Kristof Polmans
  • Patent number: 11186314
    Abstract: An articulated vehicle assembly comprising a master vehicle having a master steering system and an onboard sensor arrangement configured to monitor at least said master steering system; a slave vehicle having a slave steering system and an onboard actuator arrangement configured to manipulate at least said slave steering system; an articulation system for articulating in a queue the master and the slave vehicles along a common longitudinal axis; and a processing unit configured to receive input signals from the onboard sensor arrangement and produce corresponding output signals to the onboard actuator arrangement to manipulate said slave steering system so as to maintain the master vehicle and the slave vehicle aligned along the common longitudinal axis, at least when the master vehicle performs a turn on a horizontal plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: PLASAN SASA LTD.
    Inventors: Amir Ben Shoshan, Asaf Engel
  • Patent number: 11180211
    Abstract: A bicycle telescopic apparatus includes a first tube, a second tube, a positioning structure, a memory, and a controller. The second tube is telescopically received in the first tube and configured to be adjustably movable with respect to the first tube in a longitudinal direction of the bicycle telescopic apparatus. The positioning structure includes an electrical actuator to adjustably position the second tube relative to the first tube in the longitudinal direction. The memory is configured to store setting information for a predetermined relative position of the first tube and the second tube, and the setting information is changed via an electrical setting operation. The controller is configured to control the electrical actuator to position the second tube relative to the first tube at the predetermined relative position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: Shimano Inc.
    Inventors: Nobukatsu Hara, Satoshi Shahana, Toyoto Shirai, Yuki Sakagawa, Yuta Kurokawa
  • Patent number: 11176835
    Abstract: In order to provide an aircraft with GLS (GBAS (Ground-Based Augmentation System) Landing System) data packets for a satellite navigation-based automatic landing, the GLS data packets comprising GBAS correction data for a satellite navigation and FAS data that describes a set approach path of the aircraft, SBAS (Satellite-Based Augmentation System) correction data for the satellite navigation are received from an SBAS satellite. The received SBAS correction data are converted into GBAS correction data. The GBAS correction data obtained by the conversion are combined with the FAS data in the GLS data packets. The GLS data packets are transmitted to the aircraft via a radio link.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V.
    Inventors: Thomas Dautermann, Robert Geister, Thomas Ludwig
  • Patent number: 11177762
    Abstract: A control unit configured to control at least one motor of a vehicle is described that perform operations including receiving a target torque and a target speed for controlling the at least one motor, and determining, based on the target speed, a critical speed zone of the at least one motor. The critical speed zone defines a particular torque input to the at least one motor that induces torque ripple when the at least one motor is operating at any of a range of motor speeds. The operations performed by the control unit further include determining whether a current speed of the at least one motor is within the critical speed zone, and while determining that the current speed is within the critical speed zone, controlling a torque input to the at least one motor by avoiding the particular torque input defined by the critical speed zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: Volvo Car Corporation
    Inventor: Mats Strandberg
  • Patent number: 11173766
    Abstract: A suspension component includes a suspension spring, a screw actuator that is operable to compress and decompress the suspension spring upon supply of electrical power to the screw actuator, and locking structure that engages a portion of the screw actuator to restrain motion of the screw actuator to maintain a current degree of compression of the suspension spring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan L. Hall, Neal M. Lackritz, Troy A. Carter
  • Patent number: 11174034
    Abstract: An aircraft control system and method to optimize aircraft control based on noise abatement volumes. A noise abatement component computes optimal flight and engine control based on a line-of-sight distance to minimize direct operating cost (DOC) while complying with community noise regulations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: GE Aviation Systems LLC
    Inventors: Mark Lawrence Darnell, David M Lax, Brandon James Rhone
  • Patent number: 11167743
    Abstract: A calibration system calibrates inertial sensor readings on a vehicle. The calibration system estimates an attitude of the ground from a series of height and position measurements and reads an attitude from an inertial sensor subsystem attached to the vehicle. The calibration system then calculates an attitude offset between the vehicle and inertial sensor subsystem based on a difference between the estimated attitude of the ground and the attitude reading of the inertial sensor subsystem. The calibration system may estimate a slope of the ground from a 3-dimensional terrain map. The slope of the ground is converted into an estimated roll and/or pitch of the vehicle which is then compared with the roll and pitch readings from the inertial sensor subsystem to determine the attitude offset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: AGJUNCTION, LLC
    Inventor: Steven J. Dumble
  • Patent number: 11169524
    Abstract: An object is to obtain a heading control device and a heading control method for ship in which a heading control system is configured on the basis of ship motion information, without promoting oscillation excited by disturbance factors to the ship, such as tidal current or wind. The heading control device for ship, which causes a ship provided with an outboard motor to sail at a desired heading, includes: a heading generator which outputs a heading command; and a controller which outputs a rudder angle command on the basis of the heading command from the heading generator, sensor group information from a sensor group, and ship motion characteristic information from a ship motion characteristic information storage unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Naoki Imamura, Ryo Sakaguchi, Daisuke Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11167959
    Abstract: In a method for preventing a collision of a load of a crane with an obstacle, a height profile of the obstacle is captured along a trajectory of movement of the load by at least two sensors for distance measurement. Signals of the sensors are transmitted via at least two communication channels to a controller having at least two operating systems. At least one of the operating systems has a safety program in a secure area. The obstacle is identified along the trajectory via the height profile. The controller includes a secure communications interface for transmitting signals from the controller to a crane control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Thomas Heimann, Marcel Bals, Axel Rottmann
  • Patent number: 11161457
    Abstract: A pivotable interior rearview device for a motor vehicle includes a mirror surface provided by at least one of a reflective element and a display element, a first sensor device suitable for a light propagation time measurement for detecting at least one gesture by a driver of the motor vehicle incidence of light on the mirror surface, a switching device for switching the display element on and off, a pivoting device for pivoting the mirror surface from a normal position into at least one dimming position in which dazzling of the driver by light reflected in the mirror surface is reduced, and a control unit for controlling at least one of the switching device and the pivoting device. A method of using the rearview device is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: SMR Patents S.à.r.l.
    Inventors: Romeo Wieczorek, Peter Hein, Ilka Rötzer, Andreas Herrmann
  • Patent number: 11163307
    Abstract: Example implementations relate to vehicle occupancy confirmation. An example implementation involves receiving, at a computing system from a camera positioned inside a vehicle, an image representing an occupancy within the vehicle. The implementation further involves, responsive to receiving the image, displaying the image on a display interface, and receiving an operator input confirming the occupancy meets a desired occupancy. The implementation additionally includes transmitting an occupancy confirmation from the computing system to the vehicle. In some instances, in response to receiving the occupancy confirmation, the vehicle executes an autonomous driving operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventor: Joshua Herbach
  • Patent number: 11164398
    Abstract: A software management system includes a server device, a maintenance device communicating with the server device, an electronic control device provided in a vehicle, a communication device provided in the vehicle, and a gateway device provided in the vehicle and communicating with the maintenance device, the electronic control device, and the communication device. The server device manages version information of software of the electronic control device in association with a control device ID of the electronic control device and the gateway device stores a correspondence between the control device ID and a communication ID of the electronic control device, and further the maintenance device instructs the gateway device to set the correspondence between the control device ID and the communication ID. The gateway device acquires the version information from the electronic control device and notifies the server device of configuration information associating the version information and the control device ID.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventor: Hidetoshi Teraoka
  • Patent number: 11155133
    Abstract: A vehicle control system comprises a sensor configured to capture sensor data and a controller configured to identify a coupler position of a trailer in the sensor data. The controller is further configured to control a vehicle alignment routine aligning the hitch with the coupler position and control an emergency braking operation in response to detecting an obstruction in the sensor data. The controller is configured to suppress the emergency braking operation in response to the obstruction corresponding to the coupler in the sensor data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Luke Niewiadomski, Eric L. Reed, Roger Arnold Trombley, Robert D. Klosek
  • Patent number: 11150163
    Abstract: This accelerator play measurement device measures the play opening of an accelerator pedal of a vehicle, and includes: an accelerator actuator for operating the accelerator pedal; a vehicle speed sensor for detecting the vehicle speed of the vehicle; a first measurement unit for calculating a provisional play opening on the basis of a change in vehicle speed detection value from the vehicle speed sensor when the accelerator actuator has been driven and the accelerator pedal opening degree has been increased at a first speed from a fully-closed opening degree; and a second measurement unit for detecting the play opening on the basis of a change in vehicle speed detection value when the accelerator actuator has been driven and the accelerator pedal opening degree has been increased at a second speed higher than the first speed from the fully-closed opening degree to close to the provisional play opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: MEIDENSHA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akihiko Kodama, Kenji Watanabe, Tsuyoshi Shimizu
  • Patent number: 11148804
    Abstract: A method of tracking a movement of a target by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) includes determining a distance between the target and the UAV, acquiring image data of the target by a camera of the UAV, determining two-dimensional pixel coordinate data associated with a plurality of features of the target from the image data, determining a physical dimension based on the two-dimensional pixel coordinate data and the distance, and determining three-dimensional location coordinate data of the target with respect to the UAV based on the physical dimension and at least one of the two-dimensional pixel coordinate data or the distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: SZ DJI TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Peiliang Li, Cong Zhao, Xuyang Feng, Jie Qian, Qifeng Wu