Patents Examined by Harrison Heflin
-
Patent number: 11981343Abstract: An autonomous vehicle may include a display device configured to display a driving path of the autonomous vehicle; and an autonomous driving control apparatus including a processor that displays a situation in which driving of the driving path is impossible on the display device in augmented reality when the situation in which the driving of the driving path is impossible occurs due to an external environment during autonomous driving of the autonomous vehicle, transmits information related to a misrecognized obstacle to a control system when receiving a request for deleting the misrecognized obstacle, and receives a driving path in which the misrecognized obstacle is deleted from the control system and controls and follows the received driving path.Type: GrantFiled: December 8, 2021Date of Patent: May 14, 2024Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia CorporationInventor: Dong Hyuk Kim
-
Patent number: 11940291Abstract: A method for updating a map of the surrounding area wherein the map is used when controlling a transportation vehicle. The transportation vehicle attempts, when travelling along a carriageway, to detect a landmark recorded in the map of the surrounding area using sensors. In response to the transportation vehicle being unable to detect the landmark using its sensors, the transportation vehicle prepares a proposal for deletion which is sent to an external central computer. The proposal for deletion is examined in the external central computer and deletes the landmark from the map of the surrounding area in response to the proposal for deletion being verified. In the method, information regarding a visibility range for the landmark is entered in the map of the surrounding area specifying at what range the landmark is visible from a road permitting a more effective detection of landmarks.Type: GrantFiled: July 25, 2019Date of Patent: March 26, 2024Assignee: VOLKSWAGEN AKTIENGESELLSCHAFTInventors: Daniel Wilbers, Christian Merfels, Bernd Rech, Thilo Schaper, Niklas Koch, Stefan Jürgens, David Perdomo Lopez, Constanze Hungar
-
Patent number: 11940813Abstract: The mower fleet management device is configured to control a plurality of mowers to work in collaboration. Each of the mowers includes an on-board communication module and an on-board positioning and navigation module. The mower fleet management device includes: a map loading module configured to acquire a map of a working land parcel; a control terminal communication module configured to wirelessly communicate with the on-board communication modules to acquire status information of the mowers; and a working region assigning module configured to assign a working region to each of the mowers according to the status information and the map. The on-board positioning and navigation module of each of the mowers guides the mower to work in the corresponding working region according to the assigned working region.Type: GrantFiled: May 20, 2021Date of Patent: March 26, 2024Assignee: Globe (Jiangsu) Co., Ltd.Inventors: Jiafu Xue, Shiyuan Ding, Jing Wang, Qunli Wei, Hui Chen, Dongdong Shi
-
Patent number: 11927956Abstract: The technology relates to assisting large self-driving vehicles, such as cargo vehicles, as they maneuver towards and/or park at a destination facility. This may include a given vehicle transitioning between different autonomous driving modes. Such a vehicles may be permitted to drive in a fully autonomous mode on certain roadways for the majority of a trip, but may need to change to a partially autonomous mode on other roadways or when entering or leaving a destination facility such as a warehouse, depot or service center. Large vehicles such as cargo truck may have limited room to maneuver in and park at the destination, which may also prevent operation in a fully autonomous mode. Here, information from the destination facility and/or a remote assistance service can be employed to aid in real-time semi-autonomous maneuvering.Type: GrantFiled: August 23, 2021Date of Patent: March 12, 2024Assignee: Waymo LLCInventors: Vijaysai Patnaik, William Grossman
-
Patent number: 11927955Abstract: The technology relates to assisting large self-driving vehicles, such as cargo vehicles, as they maneuver towards and/or park at a destination facility. This may include a given vehicle transitioning between different autonomous driving modes. Such a vehicles may be permitted to drive in a fully autonomous mode on certain roadways for the majority of a trip, but may need to change to a partially autonomous mode on other roadways or when entering or leaving a destination facility such as a warehouse, depot or service center. Large vehicles such as cargo truck may have limited room to maneuver in and park at the destination, which may also prevent operation in a fully autonomous mode. Here, information from the destination facility and/or a remote assistance service can be employed to aid in real-time semi-autonomous maneuvering.Type: GrantFiled: August 23, 2019Date of Patent: March 12, 2024Assignee: Waymo LLCInventors: Vijaysai Patnaik, William Grossman
-
Patent number: 11912334Abstract: A method for releasing a tilt mechanism for a steering element of a vehicle, wherein the steering element is mounted pivotably around a tilt axis between a steering position and at least one non-steering position, wherein the steering element has at least one releasable locking arrangement, which fixes the steering element in the steering position and the at least one non-steering position. The locking arrangement can adopt at least one locking state in which the release of the locking arrangement is prevented and can adopt at least one release state in which the release of the locking arrangement is enabled. A corresponding steering arrangement and a corresponding vehicle are provided.Type: GrantFiled: November 23, 2021Date of Patent: February 27, 2024Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Philipp Kuepper, Martin Faßbender, Bruno Alves, Klemens Degle, Lukas Loehmann
-
Patent number: 11904684Abstract: A system and method for controlling switching of an electric vehicle to four-wheel drive are provided. The system includes a first motor connected to main drive wheels and configured to output a first torque, a second motor connected to subsidiary drive wheels and configured to output a second torque, a disconnector mounted on an axle shaft for the subsidiary drive wheels, a driver requested torque detector configured to detect a driver requested torque, and a controller configured to release a set output limit of the first motor for a designated time and simultaneously release a set output limit of the second motor when the driver requested torque is greater than or equal to a reference requested torque, and control the first motor to output a maximum torque exceeding the set output limit to the main drive wheels until the disconnector is engaged.Type: GrantFiled: August 27, 2021Date of Patent: February 20, 2024Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia CorporationInventor: Se Hoon Park
-
Patent number: 11880203Abstract: Methods and systems for controlling navigation of an autonomous vehicle for traversing a drivable area are disclosed. The methods include receiving information relating to a drivable area that includes a plurality of polygons, identifying a plurality of logical edges that form a boundary of the drivable area, sequentially and repeatedly analyzing concavities of each the plurality of logical edges until identification of a first logical edge that has a concavity greater than a threshold, creating a first logical segment of the boundary of the drivable area. This segmentation may be repeated until each of the plurality of logical edges has been classified. The method may include creating and adding (to a map) a data representation of the drivable area that comprises an indication of the plurality of logical segments, and adding the data representation to a road network map comprising the drivable area.Type: GrantFiled: January 5, 2021Date of Patent: January 23, 2024Assignee: Argo AI, LLCInventor: Gregory Boyd Nichols
-
Patent number: 11872980Abstract: A method for controlling wheel slip of a vehicle, which comprises a plurality of driving devices for generating driving force for driving the vehicle, includes: obtaining, by a controller, equivalent inertia information for each driving device based on operation information of each driving system during traveling of the vehicle; calculating, by the controller, a calibration amount for calibrating a driving force command or a braking force command for each wheel in real time by using the equivalent inertia information obtained; calibrating, by the controller, the driving force command or the braking force command for each wheel by using the calculated calibration amount; and controlling, by the controller, the driving force according to the calibrated driving force command or the braking force according to the calibrated braking force command.Type: GrantFiled: December 3, 2019Date of Patent: January 16, 2024Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors CorporationInventors: Ji Won Oh, Jeong Soo Eo
-
Patent number: 11867527Abstract: A vehicle control system includes an imaging device, a map generating unit, and an own lane identifying unit. The own lane identifying unit is configured to identify one lane as an own lane on a map in a case where the one lane is an only lane present in a specific area on the map, compare a type of a delimiting line of a captured own lane with types of delimiting lines of a plurality of lanes on the map in a case where the plurality of lanes are present in the specific area on the map, and identify one of the plurality of lanes on the map as the own lane on the map in a case where the type of the delimiting line of the captured own lane matches only a type of a delimiting line of the one of the plurality of lanes on the map.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2021Date of Patent: January 9, 2024Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventor: Koichiro Wada
-
Patent number: 11854401Abstract: In various examples, a sequential deep neural network (DNN) may be trained using ground truth data generated by correlating (e.g., by cross-sensor fusion) sensor data with image data representative of a sequences of images. In deployment, the sequential DNN may leverage the sensor correlation to compute various predictions using image data alone. The predictions may include velocities, in world space, of objects in fields of view of an ego-vehicle, current and future locations of the objects in image space, and/or a time-to-collision (TTC) between the objects and the ego-vehicle. These predictions may be used as part of a perception system for understanding and reacting to a current physical environment of the ego-vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: December 16, 2022Date of Patent: December 26, 2023Assignee: NVIDIA CorporationInventors: Yue Wu, Pekka Janis, Xin Tong, Cheng-Chieh Yang, Minwoo Park, David Nister
-
Patent number: 11840260Abstract: A method for generating at least one non-human animal crossing indicator, the method may include receiving by a vehicle computerized system, non-human animal crossing indicators; obtaining sensed information regarding an environment of the vehicle; processing the sensed information, wherein the processing comprises searching for one or more non-human animal crossing indicators of the non-human animal crossing indicators; wherein the non-human animal crossing element is selected out of (i) a non-human animal crossing object and (ii) a non-human animal crossing situation; autonomously determining, when finding at least one of the one or more non-human animal crossing identifiers, that the vehicle is driving towards a non-human animal crossing or is within the non-human animal crossing; and generating an alert when determining that the vehicle is driving towards the non-human animal crossing or is within the non-human animal crossing.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2021Date of Patent: December 12, 2023Assignee: AUTOBRAINS TECHNOLOGIES LTDInventors: Boaz Mell, Igal Raichelgauz
-
Patent number: 11827319Abstract: A method for a marine vessel includes determining if a first propulsion device on the marine vessel is rotated about a horizontal tilt/trim axis above a predetermined threshold and determining if a second propulsion device on the marine vessel is deployed. If the second propulsion device is deployed, the method includes retracting the second propulsion device in response to determining that the first propulsion device is rotated above the predetermined threshold. If the second propulsion device is not deployed, the method includes prohibiting the second propulsion device from being deployed in response to determining that the first propulsion device is rotated above the predetermined threshold.Type: GrantFiled: August 4, 2020Date of Patent: November 28, 2023Assignee: Brunswick CorporationInventor: Andres Perdomo Tornbaum
-
Patent number: 11782449Abstract: An autonomous mobile system according to the present embodiment is an autonomous mobile system that autonomously moves in a facility provided with a corner between aisles. When the autonomous mobile system turns at the corner, the autonomous mobile system calculates a magnitude of a corner radius of turning in a traveling path based on an obstacle captured in image data of a camera that captures an image of an exit of the corner.Type: GrantFiled: October 29, 2021Date of Patent: October 10, 2023Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Tetsuya Taira, Shiro Oda, Satoshi Toyoshima, Yuta Watanabe, Takeshi Matsui, Takayoshi Nasu, Kei Yoshikawa, Yusuke Ota, Yutaro Ishida, Yuji Onuma
-
Patent number: 11761770Abstract: The present disclosure relates to systems, non-transitory computer readable media, and methods for detecting and providing a digital notification of whether a ridership error exists. For instance, a ridership error detection system identifies a transportation match between a requestor device and a provider device. The ridership error detection system determines one or more sets of provider-requestor consistency signals from the requestor device and the provider device across ride stages. For instance, the ridership error detection system analyzes location signals, IMU signals, audio signals, local wireless signals indicating distances between the requestor device and the provider device, and other signals to determine whether a ridership error exists. The ridership error detection system provides digital notifications to the provider device and the requestor device based on the ridership error determination.Type: GrantFiled: November 22, 2019Date of Patent: September 19, 2023Assignee: Lyft, Inc.Inventors: Matthew Allen Davis, Jayaprabhakar Kadarkarai, Eshaan Bhalla, Fadi AI Sayed Hassan, Ramachandran Gurumoorthy, Neil Pradip Shah, Suresh Pragada, Thanigaivel Ashwin Raj, Nathan Van Fleet
-
Patent number: 11761788Abstract: A method and an apparatus for generating an offline map are disclosed. The method includes: obtaining 1st to nth environmental images sequentially collected by a camera of a vehicle when the vehicle is traveling on a target road section; selecting ith to jth environmental images from the 1st to Nth environmental images, performing a first batch of three-dimensional modeling on the ith to jth environmental images to obtain first posture information of the camera and a first world coordinate; performing a second batch of three-dimensional modeling in parallel on the 1st to (i?1)th environmental images and (j+1)th to Nth environmental images, based on the first posture information and the first world coordinate, to obtain a second world coordinate and to obtain a third world coordinate; and generating an offline map of the target road section according to the world coordinate.Type: GrantFiled: April 2, 2021Date of Patent: September 19, 2023Assignee: BEIJING BAIDU NETCOM SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.Inventor: Yongshan Yan
-
Patent number: 11747815Abstract: A vehicle control device includes an information acquisition unit acquiring information on the frontward image including the traveling road surface of the host vehicle; a recognition unit recognizing the traveling environment of the host vehicle based on the frontward image acquired by the information acquisition unit; and the autonomous driving control unit performing control of the autonomous driving including at least one of a speed control and a steering control of the host vehicle based on the traveling environment recognized by the recognition unit, wherein the recognition unit includes the extraction unit extracting a defective image in the frontward image; and the autonomous driving control unit limits functions related to the defective image among the plurality of functions involved in the autonomous driving when the defective image is extracted by the extraction unit.Type: GrantFiled: March 25, 2021Date of Patent: September 5, 2023Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Marina Saikyo, Kanichi Koyama
-
Patent number: 11718323Abstract: An illustrative example method of mapping a physical environment using an occupancy grid containing a set of cells associated with respective occupancy probabilities includes measuring a potential position of an object, using a sensor and identifying a segment representing a distribution interval of probable values associated with respective probability values relating to the measured potential position. The segment extends according to only one of two dimensions of the coordinate system of the sensor and penetrates a subset of potentially occupied cells. The method includes evaluating a probability of occupancy of each potentially occupied cell by determining the features of a segment portion included in the potentially occupied cell, and determining the probability of occupancy of the potentially occupied cell as a function of the determined segment portion using the probability density function.Type: GrantFiled: June 18, 2020Date of Patent: August 8, 2023Assignee: APTIV TECHNOLOGIES LIMITEDInventors: Pawel Markiewicz, Jakub Porebski, Dominik Sasin
-
Patent number: 11713977Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes an update unit and an obtaining unit. The obtaining unit obtains a second position of a map feature point included in map information based on the map information and information obtained from a vehicle sensor. The map information includes a map feature point first position measured in an environment including a closed route along which the vehicle travels. The sensor-obtained information includes a sensor feature point measured by the sensor mounted on the vehicle while the vehicle travels along the closed route. Where a distance between an estimated vehicle first position and an estimated vehicle second position is greater than a threshold, map information updating is restrained. Where the vehicle traveling near the vehicle first position continues traveling along the closed route, the update unit updates the map information between when the vehicle leaves the vehicle first position and nears the vehicle second position.Type: GrantFiled: December 10, 2020Date of Patent: August 1, 2023Assignee: Canon Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Makoto Tomioka, Masakazu Fujiki
-
Patent number: 11703878Abstract: A mobile object configured for movement in an area equipped with VLC illumination sources comprises a light sensor arranged to detect illumination from at least one of the illumination sources within the view of the light sensor; a computer arranged to determine from the detected illumination (i) a position of the mobile object relative to the at least one illumination source and (ii) the identifier of the at least one illumination source; and a transceiver. The transceiver can receive from another mobile object a message comprising the position of the other mobile object relative to a source of illumination, and the identifier of that source of illumination. From this, the computer determines from its position and the message a distance from the other mobile object. A mobile object which transmits such a message is also envisaged.Type: GrantFiled: August 29, 2018Date of Patent: July 18, 2023Assignee: SIGNIFY HOLDING B.V.Inventors: Stefan Marcus Verbrugh, Robert James Davies, Paul Henricus Johannes Maria Van Voorthuisen, Alexander Paulus Philippus Maria Habets, Johan Wilhelmus Hermanus Kuppen