Patents Examined by Jean-Paul Cass
  • Patent number: 11594138
    Abstract: A system or optimizing a flight plan for an electric aircraft is provided. The system includes, a computing device, wherein the computing device is configured t receive a plurality of measured flight data from a remote device, identify at least an aircraft requirement as a function of the plurality of measured flight data, generate at least a desired flight plan as a function of at least a plurality of measured flight data and the at least an aircraft requirement, and determine an optimized flight plan as a function of the at least a desired flight plan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: BETA AIR, LLC
    Inventor: Vincent Moeykens
  • Patent number: 11584368
    Abstract: Apparatuses and methods for evaluating the risk factors of a proposed vehicle maneuver using remote data are disclosed. In embodiments, a computer-assisted/autonomous driving vehicle communicates with one or more remote data sources to obtain remote sensor data, and process such remote sensor data to determine the risk of a proposed vehicle maneuver. A remote data source may be authenticated and validated, such as by correlation with other remote data sources and/or local sensor data. Correlation may include performing object recognition upon the remote data sources and local sensor data. Risk evaluation is performed on the validated data, and the results of the risk evaluation presented to a vehicle operator or to an autonomous vehicle navigation system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Naissa Conde, Casey Baron, Shekoufeh Qawami, Kooi Chi Ooi, Mengjie Yu
  • Patent number: 11584458
    Abstract: A method of inspection or maintenance of a curved ferromagnetic surface using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) having a releasable crawler is provided. The method includes: flying the UAV from an initial position to a pre-perching position in a vicinity of the ferromagnetic surface; autonomously perching the UAV on the ferromagnetic surface; maintaining magnetic attachment of the perched UAV to the ferromagnetic surface; releasing the crawler from the magnetically attached UAV onto the ferromagnetic surface; moving the crawler over the curved ferromagnetic surface while maintaining magnetic attachment of the released crawler to the ferromagnetic surface; inspecting or maintaining the ferromagnetic surface using the magnetically attached crawler; and re-docking the released crawler with the perched UAV.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignees: Saudi Arabian Oil Company, King Abdullah University Of Science And Technology
    Inventors: Fadi Abdellatif, Mohamed Abdelkader, Jeff S. Shamma
  • Patent number: 11584240
    Abstract: An intelligent vehicle charging system for charging a fleet of autonomous vehicles throughout a network of charging stations dispersed throughout a geographic area. The intelligent vehicle charging system includes a remote control system that is in operative communication with each of the autonomous vehicles in the fleet and each of the charging stations in the network. When an autonomous vehicle is in need of a power charge, or as directed by the remote control system, the remote control system will identify an available charging station, guide the autonomous vehicle to the charging station, verify that the autonomous vehicle has arrived at the charging station, initiate the power charging process, account and bill appropriate fees for the charging process, and log all associated activity. The remote control system is also capable of remotely and instantaneously terminating the power charging process to dynamically return a vehicle back to service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Inventors: Arnold Chase, William Chase
  • Patent number: 11577724
    Abstract: In a driving assistance apparatus, an image acquiring unit acquires a captured image captured by an onboard camera. Based on the captured image acquired by the image acquiring unit, a boundary line recognizing unit recognizes a boundary line that demarcates a traffic lane in which an own vehicle is driving. A road information acquiring unit acquires road information related to a road on which the own vehicle is driving. Based on the road information acquired by the road information acquiring unit, a degree-of-reliability setting unit sets a degree of reliability of the boundary line recognized by the boundary line recognizing unit. Based on the boundary line recognized by the boundary line recognizing unit, a driving assisting unit performs driving assistance of the own vehicle and varies control content of the driving assistance based on the degree of reliability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takahiro Shimizu
  • Patent number: 11579611
    Abstract: A population density map of a region is generated by dividing the region into cells and allocating a population of the region only to the cells that are accessible to people, or are believed to be populated. Each of the cells is classified based on one or more ground features of the cells, and an adjustment factor for each of the cells is determined based at least in part on the classifications. Equal shares of the population of the region are allocated to each of the cells that is accessible or populated, and the equal shares are multiplied by the adjustment factors determined for the respective ones of the cells to calculate a population for each of such cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Javier Alonso Lopez, Kenny Xie, Pragyana K. Mishra
  • Patent number: 11543258
    Abstract: A personalized notification method for a mobility as a service (MaaS) vehicle includes receiving conditional personalized notification features from a passenger of the MaaS vehicle. The method also includes monitoring current driving environment of the MaaS vehicle to determine whether a condition of the conditional personalized notification features is satisfied. The method further includes notifying the passenger when the condition is satisfied via at least one localized output device in a compartment of the MaaS vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA RESEARCH INSTITUTE, INC.
    Inventors: Soon Ho Kong, Jonathan Decastro, Nikos Arechiga Gonzalez, Frank Permenter
  • Patent number: 11537149
    Abstract: A route generation device includes: an acquisition portion configured to acquire object data; and a controller configured to set a travel route of a moving body. The controller is configured to define a virtual space corresponding to a predetermined real space including a moving range for the moving body, manage a plurality of regions that the virtual space is divided into, the plurality of divided regions each having a predetermined three-dimensional shape, place the object in the virtual space, set a region that overlaps the object among the plurality of divided regions as a no-go zone where the moving body is not allowed to pass, and set a region that does not overlap the object among the plurality of divided regions as an available zone where the moving body is allowed to move.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignees: MICWARE CO., LTD., IMICS. INC.
    Inventor: Hiroaki Sekiyama
  • Patent number: 11536565
    Abstract: A rotorcraft is described and includes an inertial measurement unit (“IMU”) sensor mounted to the rotorcraft, the IMU sensor oriented relative to the rotorcraft such that a roll attitude of the rotorcraft occurs about a Z-axis and has a range of ±90 degrees, a pitch attitude of the rotorcraft occurs about an X-axis and has a range of ±180 degrees, and a yaw attitude of the rotorcraft occurs about a Y-axis and has a range of ±180 degrees.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: TEXTRON INNOVATIONS INC.
    Inventor: Sung Kyun Kim
  • Patent number: 11523125
    Abstract: A video compressor system and device for securement to a drone controller. The device employs a low bandwidth, low latency video compressor, recorder and cellular modem that connect directly to the drone's handheld receiver. The video compressor high quality live video from the drone's receiver to be broadcast over a cellular network at low bandwidth rates and with low latency. The small footprint and low power consumption allows the device to be coupled directly to the drone controller, no external tethering to other larger and less mobile devices is required. The streaming video can be viewed live through a decompression sever on video walls, individual PC's and even handheld mobile devices in the field, which also allows viewers to have complete mobility while maintaining visual connection to the drone video feed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: Special Services Group, LLC
    Inventors: Elizabeth A. Beck, Clifford W. A. Emery, Andrew J. Ashworth
  • Patent number: 11520329
    Abstract: A method and a system for detecting wire or wire-like obstacles, which method and system are designed for an aircraft. The system for detecting wire or wire-like obstacles comprises a detection device, such as a video camera or a LIDAR device, a computer and a display device. The method includes a step of detecting at least one pylon in the surrounding environment of the aircraft via a detection device, a step of identifying a family of pylons to which each detected pylon corresponds, a step of characterizing at least one cable supported by the at least one detected pylon, and a step of determining a prohibited zone that can potentially contain each pylon and each cable and a safe zone not containing either a pylon or a cable. The prohibited zone and the safe zone may be displayed on the display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Inventor: Lionel Thomassey
  • Patent number: 11520331
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed that provide an apparatus to analyze vehicle perspectives, the apparatus comprising a profile generator to generate a first profile of an environment based on a profile template and first data generated by a first vehicle; a data analyzer to: determine a difference between the first profile and a second profile obtained from a first one of one or more nodes in the environment; and in response to a trigger event, update the first profile based on the difference; and a vehicle control system to: in response to the trigger event, update a first perspective of the environment based on one or more of second data from the first one of the one or more nodes or the updated first profile; update a path plan for the first vehicle based on the updated first perspective; and execute the updated path plan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Sara Baghsorkhi, Justin Gottschlich, Alexander Heinecke, Mohammad Mejbah Ul Alam, Shengtian Zhou, Sridhar Sharma, Patrick Andrew Mead, Ignacio Alvarez, David Gonzalez Aguirre, Kathiravetpillai Sivanesan, Jeffrey Ota, Jason Martin, Liuyang Lily Yang
  • Patent number: 11520327
    Abstract: A lease management method of an electric power motion apparatus includes acquiring location information, an advancement direction and a battery state of the electric power motion apparatus; additionally adjusting the advancement direction of the electric power motion apparatus to face towards the lease station such that the electric power motion apparatus faces towards the lease station based on normal adjustment and control if the electric power motion apparatus is located outside a lease range of a lease station; and additionally controlling the electric power motion apparatus to decelerate, and additionally adjusting the advancement direction of the electric power motion apparatus to face towards the lease station such that the electric power motion apparatus advances towards the lease station based on normal adjustment and control if a remaining power amount of the electric power motion apparatus approaches a power amount for returning to the lease station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: YUJET INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION LIMITED
    Inventor: Yu Tian
  • Patent number: 11512972
    Abstract: A method and system that provides navigational related audio or haptic feedback to a user traversing a route by mapping an initial route for a user to traverse, the initial route having paths and intersections; determining a current location of the user; inputting a route characteristic change of the initial route; determining possible paths associated with an intersection for the user to traverse when the current location of the user is within the predetermined distance of the intersection; ranking the determined possible paths based upon the initial route and the inputted route characteristic change; determining the head direction of the user when the current location of the user is within the predetermined distance of an intersection; determining which of the possible paths corresponds to the calculated head direction of the user; and providing an audio/haptic cue to the user based upon the ranking of the determined possible path corresponding to the determined head direction of the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Inventors: Danilo Gallo, Shreepriya Shreepriya, Jutta Katharina Willamowski
  • Patent number: 11500106
    Abstract: Techniques for controlling an autonomous vehicle with a processor that controls operation, includes operating a Doppler LIDAR system to collect point cloud data that indicates for each point at least four dimensions including an inclination angle, an azimuthal angle, a range, and relative speed between the point and the LIDAR system. A value of a property of an object in the point cloud is determined based on only three or fewer of the at least four dimensions. In some of embodiments, determining the value of the property of the object includes isolating multiple points in the point cloud data which have high value Doppler components. A moving object within the plurality of points is determined based on a cluster by azimuth and Doppler component values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: BLACKMORE SENSORS & ANALYTICS, LLC
    Inventors: Stephen C. Crouch, Devlin Baker
  • Patent number: 11498557
    Abstract: A longitudinally guiding driver assistance system in a motor vehicle has a first detection system for detecting currently applying events or relevant events lying ahead, which require a change of the permissible maximum speed, a second detection system for detecting the course of the route, and a function unit which, when detecting a relevant event while taking into account the location of the relevant event, determines a location-dependent point in time, whose reaching causes the function unit to initiate an automatic adaptation of the currently permissible maximum speed or an output of a prompt information for permitting an automatic adaptation of the currently permissible maximum speed to anew permissible maximum speed. The function unit is designed to take into account available information concerning the course of the route when determining the location-dependent point in time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Stefan Knoller
  • Patent number: 11495061
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for data collection from landing gear components and providing predictive analytics. Example methods include sending a signal to excite wheel assembly sensors located on a vehicle, and receiving a return signal encoded with measurement data. The measurement data is then stored on an RFID card, on an edge node, and/or on a remote server. Upon receipt of the measurement data by a remote server, the remote server analyzes the data to generate predictive maintenance analytics data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Dinkar Mylaraswamy, Ramon Blanco Encinas, Braxton Felts
  • Patent number: 11492011
    Abstract: An autonomous driving control device includes: a plurality of control devices that each have a first storage unit and a processing unit; a load control unit; a second storage unit; and a failure detection unit. The programs include autonomous driving programs and other programs. When a failure is detected, the load control unit unloads at least some of the other programs from the first storage unit of a normal control device, and loads the autonomous driving program corresponding to that loaded in the first storage unit of a failed control device from the second storage unit into the first storage unit of the normal control device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toshihide Ando
  • Patent number: 11493937
    Abstract: A takeoff and landing control method of a multimodal air-ground amphibious vehicle includes: receiving dynamic parameters of the multimodal air-ground amphibious vehicle; processing the dynamic parameters by a coupled dynamic model of the multimodal air-ground amphibious vehicle to obtain dynamic control parameters of the multimodal air-ground amphibious vehicle, wherein the coupled dynamic model of the multimodal air-ground amphibious vehicle comprises a motion equation of the multimodal air-ground amphibious vehicle in a touchdown state; and the motion equation of the multimodal air-ground amphibious vehicle in a touchdown state is determined by a two-degree-of-freedom suspension dynamic equation and a six-degree-of-freedom motion equation of the multimodal air-ground amphibious vehicle in the touchdown state; and controlling takeoff and landing of the multimodal air-ground amphibious vehicle according to the dynamic control parameters of the multimodal air-ground amphibious vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Xinyu Zhang, Jun Li, Qifan Tan, Jianxi Luo, Huaping Liu, Kangyao Huang, Xingang Wu
  • Patent number: 11482116
    Abstract: The communication apparatus (1100) configured to be installed in a first aircraft (1b) comprises a controller (1110) and a transmitter (1106). The controller (1110) is configured to acquire resource information and determine a communication condition based on the resource information, the resource information being related to a second aircraft (1a) different from the first aircraft (1b) or to a radio altimeter installed in the second aircraft (1a). The transmitter (1106) is configured to transmit transmission data to one other communication apparatus installed in the first aircraft (1b), according to the communication condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Shutai Okamura