Patents Examined by Donald J. Wallace
  • Patent number: 11977391
    Abstract: Within an indoor setting and upon a floor-based mobile platform, exists one servomotor-controlled IR distance measuring sensor, while some distance away exists a passive and fixed reflector. The IR sensor operates to acquire and track the fixed reflector, the relative bearing of such defining navigation by a single reference point with obstacle detection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Inventor: Jack George Lawrence, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11975830
    Abstract: Embodiments provide an electric aircraft with a plurality of lift fan assemblies that are configured to provide vertical lift, and one or more pusher propellers that are configured to provide forward thrust. The lift fan assemblies may be coupled to the wings of the aircraft via one or more support structures, and the wings may be coupled to an upper region of the fuselage. The pusher propeller(s) may be coupled to a tailing end of the fuselage. The lift fan assemblies and the pusher propeller(s) may provide thrust and movement in directions that are orthogonal to one another. A control system coupled to the aircraft may control the lift fan assemblies and the one or more pusher propellers to activate, increase in power, and decrease in power. The lift fan assemblies and the one or more pusher propellers may be operated separately, and may be active at different times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: Wisk Aero LLC
    Inventors: James Joseph Tighe, Uri Tzarnotzky, Geoffrey Alan Long
  • Patent number: 11970158
    Abstract: A sensor detects an obstacle to a vehicle. An alert device provides alert information for inquiring a passenger to determine whether to continue automatic driving when a distance between the obstacle and an end of the lane is equal to or larger than a width necessary for travel based on a width of the vehicle. An input device receives a passenger's manipulation to continue automatic driving in response the inquiry provided from the alert device. A command output unit outputs a command to ease lane-based restriction on continuation of automatic driving to an automatic driving control device when the manipulation in response is received.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: PANASONIC AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Koichi Emura
  • Patent number: 11964653
    Abstract: A driving assistance system includes a processor and a memory that stores surroundings information indicating the surroundings of a vehicle detected by sensors mounted on the vehicle. The processor is configured to acquire the position of a target in front of the vehicle and the position of the boundary of a roadway area in front of the vehicle based on the surroundings information. The processor is configured to determine whether the target is in the roadway area based on the position of the target and the position of the boundary. The processor is configured to calculate the distance between the target and the boundary when the target is in the roadway area. The processor is configured to determine whether the target is crossing the roadway area based on the relationship between the distance and a time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Wataru Sasagawa
  • Patent number: 11967106
    Abstract: This disclosure relates in general to systems and methods for optically tracking objects proximate an autonomous vehicle. In particular, an object tracking system capable of refining position data for objects being tracked by determining a location of the objects surrounding the autonomous vehicle at least on part on previously determined locations of the objects. In certain instances, the predicted and detected locations used to arrive at a refined location for the objects can be weighted in different ways depending on conditions of the sensor data and quality of the historical data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Motional AD LLC
    Inventors: Hamed Kiani Galoogahi, Caglayan Dicle
  • Patent number: 11964777
    Abstract: A remote towing interface is used to couple a towbar to an aircraft having a fuselage and a steerable landing gear. The remote towing interface includes a towbar coupler mounted to the aircraft and configured to releasably couple a towbar to the aircraft. The remote towing interface further includes a sensor and a controller. The sensor is configured to sense a position of the towbar relative to the aircraft when the towbar is coupled to the towbar coupler, and the controller controls the steerable landing gear according to the sensed position of the towbar relative to the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Safran Landing Systems Canada Inc.
    Inventor: Robert Kyle Schmidt
  • Patent number: 11966220
    Abstract: A system and method of selective input confirmation for automated loading by a work vehicle comprising a main frame and a work attachment movable with respect to the main frame for loading/unloading material in a loading area external to the work vehicle during a loading process having loading stages. Location inputs are detected for the loading area respective to the main frame and/or work attachment. First user inputs correspond to selected automation for respective loading stages, for which detection routines are executed with respect to parameters of the loading area based on the detected location inputs. If second user inputs are determined to be required with respect to certain parameters of the loading area, the second user inputs are received and movement of the main frame and/or work attachment are controlled for automating the corresponding loading stages based at least in part thereon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Michael G. Kean, Giovanni A. Wuisan
  • Patent number: 11964661
    Abstract: A driver assistance system has an emergency stopping function for a motor vehicle. The driver assistance system is designed to perform an automated lane change from a first lane to a second lane when the emergency stopping function is triggered. The driver assistance system is further designed to determine at least one road characteristic and/or at least one vehicle interior characteristic and, based on the determined at least one road characteristic and/or the vehicle interior characteristic, to decide whether to execute the lane change.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Walter Kagerer, Sirin Toprak, Soeren Ungermann
  • Patent number: 11958731
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides systems and methods for detecting a load on at least one fork of a material handling vehicle. The systems and methods can comprise a housing; at least one sensor positioned within the housing; a sensor arm pivotally coupled to the housing; at least one sensor flag integral with or coupled to the inside of the sensor arm; and wherein when the sensor arm pivots inward toward the housing the at least on sensor flag triggers the at least one sensor to identify at least a first load position and a second load position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: The Raymond Corporation
    Inventors: Adam W. Standard, Erik C. Tracy
  • Patent number: 11951978
    Abstract: A braking control device for controlling braking of a host vehicle. For a state in which a host vehicle is stopped in an intersection by automatic emergency braking and an oncoming vehicle is approaching in an oncoming lane, the host vehicle prohibits secondary braking is prohibited in, flashes a hazard lamp, and prohibits an idling stop. For a state in which it is determined in that the vehicle is stopped and it is determined in that it is safe for the vehicle to start moving, the host vehicle releases stop maintenance braking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yosuke Ito, Takaharu Oguri, Kei Kamiya, Takahiro Baba, Ryo Takaki, Tomoyuki Doi
  • Patent number: 11953916
    Abstract: Devices and methods of a pod that deploys from an aircraft or vehicle and descends to safely land. The pod is configured to be attached to an aircraft or vehicle. The pod includes walls that extend around and form a contained interior space that houses one or more travelers or cargo containers. During flight of the aircraft or vehicle, the pod deploys from the aircraft or vehicle while at an elevation above ground. A landing location is determined for the pod. While the pod is descending, the pod is steered towards and lands at the landing location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY
    Inventors: Brian Dale Laughlin, John William Glatfelter
  • Patent number: 11953917
    Abstract: The present application discloses a geomagnetism-based launching method, a launching device and a dispenser, and relates to the technical field of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The launching method includes the following steps: obtaining the geomagnetic triaxial data at the current time according to a preset heartbeat time; calculating the corrected geomagnetic triaxial data according to the geomagnetic triaxial data at the current moment; calculating an angle value based on the corrected geomagnetic triaxial data, and storing the angle value in the pre-established system data set; the system data set is a set of angle values stored in an iterative coverage method with a fixed length; obtaining the updated system data set by using the Fourier transform algorithm to perform dithering operation on all angle values in the system data set, calculating the accumulated angle difference value of the updated system data set in a preset time period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Shenzhen Siyufei Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Huanjing Huang
  • Patent number: 11953339
    Abstract: Implementations described and claimed herein provide systems and methods for interaction between a user and a machine. In one implementation, machine status information for the machine is received at a dedicated machine component. The machine status information is published onto a distributed node system network of the machine. The machine status information is ingested at a primary interface controller, and an interactive user interface is generated using the primary interface controller. The interactive user interface is generated based on the machine status information. In some implementations, input is received from the user at the primary interface controller through the interactive user interface, and a corresponding action is delegated to one or more subsystems of the machine using the distributed node system network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Inventors: Patrick S. Piemonte, Jason D. Gosnell, Kjell F. Bronder, Daniel De Rocha Rosario, Shaun D. Budhram, Scott Herz
  • Patent number: 11955018
    Abstract: Disclosed are algorithms and agent-based structures for a system and technique for analyzing and managing the airspace. The technique includes managing bulk properties of large numbers of heterogeneous multidimensional aircraft trajectories in an airspace, for the purpose of maintaining or increasing system safety, and to identify possible phase transition structures to predict when an airspace will approach the limits of its capacity. The paths of the multidimensional aircraft trajectories are continuously recalculated in the presence of changing conditions (traffic, exclusionary airspace, weather, for example) while optimizing performance measures and performing trajectory conflict detection and resolution. Such trajectories are represented as extended objects endowed with pseudo-potential, maintaining objectives for time, acceleration limits, and fuel-efficient paths by bending just enough to accommodate separation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: SMARTSKY NETWORKS LLC
    Inventors: Bruce K. Sawhill, James W. Herriot, Bruce J. Holmes
  • Patent number: 11938924
    Abstract: In a driving assistance control apparatus for a vehicle, an acquirer acquires a detected traveling state of the vehicle and a detected traveling state of another vehicle. A controller determines whether to perform braking assistance using a deterministic indicator for collision including at least one of a time, a distance, and a required deceleration to collision with the other vehicle and a deterministic indicator for crossing including at least one of a time, a distance, and a required deceleration to reaching a path of travel of the other vehicle. The deterministic indicator for collision and the deterministic indicator for crossing are acquired using the acquired traveling state of the vehicle and the acquired traveling state of the other vehicle. Further, in response to determining to perform the braking assistance, the controller causes a driving assistance unit to perform the braking assistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kei Kamiya, Toshinori Okita, Tasuku Usui
  • Patent number: 11938951
    Abstract: A vehicle motion control method controls a motion state of a vehicle during a vehicle transient motion in which an acceleration in a lateral direction is generated in the vehicle. The vehicle motion control method includes: setting a corrected longitudinal acceleration for correcting a basic longitudinal acceleration determined in accordance with a required driving force for traveling of the vehicle; and determining a target longitudinal acceleration from the basic longitudinal acceleration and the corrected longitudinal acceleration, and operating a traveling actuator of the vehicle based on the target longitudinal acceleration. A direction and a magnitude of the corrected longitudinal acceleration are determined from a viewpoint of suppressing a change in a posture of an occupant of the vehicle in a roll direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mitsuhiro Makita, Atsushi Takamatsu
  • Patent number: 11941925
    Abstract: An aircraft monitoring system for an electric aircraft is disclosed. The monitoring system may include at least a sensor configured to generate a failure datum. The failure datum includes a datum regarding a condition of an electric motors. An electronic checklist may include a crew alerting system (CAS). A CAS may be in electronic communication a sensor, wherein the CAS is comprised of at least a computing device. A CAS may generate a plurality of remedy data as a function of the failure datum. A CAS then may display the plurality of remedy data using a pilot display. A pilot may be prompted to apply the remedy datum using a pilot display as a function of the plurality of remedy data. The CAS provides an indication of the condition of the electric motor using a pilot display as a function of the application of the plurality of remedy data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Beta Air, LLC
    Inventors: Charles Camron Guthrie, Thomas Henck
  • Patent number: 11934191
    Abstract: Methods and systems for predictive control of an autonomous vehicle are described. Predictions of lane centeredness and road angle are generated based on data collected by sensors on the autonomous vehicle and are combined to determine a state of the vehicle that are then used to generate vehicle actions for steering control and speed control of the autonomous vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Daniel Mark Graves
  • Patent number: 11932284
    Abstract: A trajectory setting device that sets a trajectory of a host vehicle includes a first path generation unit configured to generate a first path by assuming all obstacles around the host vehicle to be stationary obstacles, a second path generation unit configured to generate a second path when the moving obstacle is assumed to move independently, a third path generation unit configured to generate a third path when the moving obstacle is assumed to move while interacting with at least one of the other obstacles or the host vehicle, a reliability calculation unit configured to calculate reliability of the second path and reliability of the third path, and a trajectory setting unit configured to set the trajectory for traveling from the first path, the second path, and the third path based on the reliability of the second path and the reliability of the third path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Toshiki Kindo
  • Patent number: 11932268
    Abstract: A system includes an electronic control unit (ECU) having a housing and configured to be disposed within an interior of an autonomous vehicle. The system also includes an inertial measurement unit (IMU) rigidly disposed with the housing of the ECU. The system also includes a processor configured to receive measurement data from the IMU. The IMU and the processor is powered by a battery separate from a power source of the ECU. The processor is configured to identify a tamper event of the ECU based on the measurement data from the IMU. The processor is also configured to send a signal to cause a tamper response of the tamper event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: PlusAI, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Joseph Dingli, Timothy P. Daly, Jr.