Patents Examined by Jonathan L Sample
  • Patent number: 11198470
    Abstract: A manipulating apparatus for facilitating continuously holding a manipulating unit that is under automatic manipulation is provided. Controlling the movement of the manipulating unit under automatic manipulation facilitates continuously holding the manipulating unit during automatic manipulation, and furthermore, the movement of the manipulating unit enables grasping the state of the manipulation object under automatic manipulation and intervention in manipulation under automatic manipulation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Inventor: Leona Mochizuki
  • Patent number: 11192242
    Abstract: A holding apparatus includes a first detection unit configured to detect an indicated holding object, a second detection unit configured to detect, when the first detection unit detects the holding object, a tag proximate to the holding object, and a holding part configured to hold a container provided with the tag based on tag information of the tag detected by the second detection unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Yuji Onuma, Komei Sugiura
  • Patent number: 11185979
    Abstract: A picking system including: a picking robot for gripping a target; an operation unit for an operator to perform a remote operation of the picking robot; a learning unit that learns a movement of the picking robot when the target is gripped by the remote operation; and an assisting unit that assists the remote operation based on a learning result of the learning unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takeshi Ishikawa, Yoshihiko Matsukawa, Osamu Mizuno
  • Patent number: 11173605
    Abstract: Provided are a method of controlling a mobile robot, apparatus for supporting the method, and delivery system using the mobile robot. The method, which is performed by a control apparatus, comprises acquiring a first control value for the mobile robot, which is input through a remote control apparatus, acquiring a second control value for the mobile robot, which is generated by an autonomous driving module, determining a weight for each control value based on a delay between the mobile robot and the remote control apparatus and generating a target control value of the mobile robot in combination of the first control value and the second control value based on the determined weights, wherein a first weight for the first control value and a second weight for the second control value are inversely proportional to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: dogugonggan Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jin Hyo Kim
  • Patent number: 11166770
    Abstract: A robotic system includes a base movable relative to a floor surface and a controllable arm extending from the base. The arm is configured to support and move a tool. The arm has a powered joint operable to position and/or orient a distal portion of the arm. The robotic system further includes a processor coupled to the powered joint and configured to drive the powered joint to reposition the base while the position and/or orientation of the distal portion of the arm is maintained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.
    Inventors: Simon Peter DiMaio, Nicholas Leo Bernstein, Paul Millman, Dinesh Rabindran, Alec Paul Robertson
  • Patent number: 11161245
    Abstract: Systems and methods for a feeder system for fulfilling lockbox pick-up requests are provided. A feeder system includes a network interface configured to communicate with a computing system associated with a provider of lockbox services and at least one robotic device. Each robotic device includes at least one secure compartment configured to hold one or more items associated with a lockbox pick-up request. The feeder system further includes a processing circuit including a processor and a memory. The memory is structured to store instructions that are executable by the processor and cause the processing circuit to receive, by the network interface, instructions for fulfilling the lockbox pick-up request and control the at least one robotic device to fulfill the lockbox pick-up request based on the instructions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.
    Inventor: Kristine Ing Kushner
  • Patent number: 11161240
    Abstract: In accordance with an embodiment, a commodity take-out apparatus includes a camera, an arm, a holding mechanism, and a controller. The controller determines a reference position in the take-out target commodity on the basis of the image acquired by the camera, determines positions of the both side surfaces of the take-out target commodity on the basis of a size of the take-out target commodity, using the reference position as a reference. The arm and the holding mechanism are operated by the controller to thereby move the holding member of the holding mechanism on both lateral sides of the take-out target commodity on the basis of the determined positions of the both side surfaces of the take-out target commodity and cause the holding member to hold the take-out target commodity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshiyuki Hirahara
  • Patent number: 11154987
    Abstract: A robot includes a robot body including a base, a first movable section provided turnably with respect to the base, and a second movable section provided turnably with respect to the first movable section, a first proximity sensor for detecting contact with or approach of an object to the first movable section, and a second proximity sensor for detecting contact with or approach of the object to the second movable section. The first proximity sensor includes a first electrode section having a capacitance that changes according to the contact or approach of the object, and a first circuit section for detecting the capacitance of the first electrode section. The second proximity sensor includes a second electrode section having a capacitance that changes according to the contact or approach of the object, and a second circuit section for detecting the capacitance of the second electrode section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Inventors: Yasunaga Miyazawa, Mitsuhiro Yamamura, Hideaki Oka, Toshiyuki Kamiya, Hajime Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 11147640
    Abstract: A medical system comprises an eye tracking unit. The eye tracking unit includes an image display configured to display to a user an image of a surgical field and an eye tracker configured to measure data about a gaze point of the user during a procedure. The eye tracking unit also includes a processor configured to process the data to determine an evaluation factor based on movement of the gaze point of the user during the procedure and compare the evaluation factor to baseline gaze point data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: INTUITIVE SURGICAL OPERATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Anthony Michael Jarc, Henry C. Lin, Jonathan Michael Sorger
  • Patent number: 11150666
    Abstract: A mobile robot includes a travel drive unit configured to move a main body, an image acquisition unit configured to acquire an image of surroundings of the main body, a sensor unit having one or more sensors configured to sense an object during the movement of the main body, a storage configured to, when the sensor unit senses an object, store position information of the sensed object and position information of the mobile robot, register an area having a predetermined size around a position of the sensed object as an object area in a map, and store the image acquired by the image acquisition unit in the object area, and a controller having an object recognition module configured to recognize the object sequentially with respect to images acquired by the image acquisition unit in the object area, and determine a final attribute of the object based on a plurality of recognition results of the sequential recognition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Dongki Noh, Juhyeon Lee, Junghwan Kim, Seungmin Baek, Wonkeun Yang
  • Patent number: 11148659
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to improvements in the stability of work machines. A method for predicting a risk of instability for one or more work machine(s) moving along a route along terrain of a worksite is provided. Ground condition data indicative of the ground condition of the terrain along the route is obtained. Surface topography data indicative of the surface topography of the terrain along the route is obtained. Route data indicative of the route along the terrain is generated. The ground condition data, the surface topography data and the route data are processed to generate risk data indicative of a risk of instability along the route.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: Caterpillar SARL
    Inventor: Stephen Thompson
  • Patent number: 11148282
    Abstract: Motion control of a robot arm is performed via a reducer connected to a motor. A controller thereof includes a thrust control unit that generates motor position command value based on an input thrust command value, and a motor control unit that generates a current value based on the motor position command value. The motor control unit feeds back a motor position detected by a motor encoder, and the thrust control unit feeds back thrust detected by a thrust meter. The feedback from the motor control unit suppresses vibration phenomena at the reducer, and the feedback from the thrust control unit suppresses transmission error, thereby enabling motion control of the arm with rapidity and precision.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yohji Nakajima
  • Patent number: 11142095
    Abstract: A control system for a seat of a vehicle, the control system includes: a seat actuator disposed at each of seats in the vehicle to implement motions of the seats including folding, reclining, sliding, or rotating of the seats; a motion calculator calculating types and degrees of motions of the seats based on information about a passenger and an object received from a user; and a driving controller enabling all of the passenger and the object input by the user to be loaded by controlling the seat actuators in accordance with a calculation result of the motion calculator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA MOTORS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Eun Sue Kim, Dae Ig Jung, Seung Hyeok Chang, Hong Heui Lee
  • Patent number: 11142217
    Abstract: A method for monitoring a motor vehicle having an automated driving function. Specific operating modes are each assigned, in each instance, at least one load profile, which is a function of the load circuit needed for the operating mode and normally occurs during this operating mode. At least one characteristic quantity of the energy store is predicted as a function of the load profile. The corresponding operating mode and/or the automated driving function is enabled as a function of the predicted characteristic quantity of the energy store. The predicted characteristic quantity is ascertained as a function of a base load and/or a switching-off potential of the load circuit not needed for the operating mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2021
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Christian Bohne, Juergen Motz, Marco Meissner, Martin Andreas Lohrmann, Oliver Dieter Koller
  • Patent number: 11137257
    Abstract: A method and system for providing improved navigation through interactive suggestion of improve solutions along a path of waypoints includes receiving in a user device a destination for a user. Data associated with the destination is transmitted to a network as well as information correlated to a location of the user. Data associated with at least one modified waypoint for an improved navigation solution is received from the network. The modified waypoints are determined in accordance with a set of parameters. Task and notification information are received from the network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Eric Zavesky, Donald Perciful, James Pratt, Robert Dailey, Yupeng Jia
  • Patent number: 11135724
    Abstract: A jig according to the present disclosure includes N planes (N is an integer equal to or larger than 4) respectively attached with patterns, in which ?90°<?<90°??(1) 0?0??(2) where ? is an angle formed by, with respect to a reference normal vector perpendicular to a jig reference plane, the jig reference plane being one plane among the N planes, and having a direction from the jig reference plane toward a space in which the stereo camera is disposed, a non-reference normal vector perpendicular to a non-reference plane different from the jig reference plane among the N planes and having a direction from the non-reference plane toward the space in which the stereo camera is disposed. Non-reference normal vectors corresponding to N?1 non-reference planes among the N planes have directions different from one another with respect to the reference normal vector and do not have directions symmetrical with respect to the reference normal vector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Inventor: Atsushi Harada
  • Patent number: 11135719
    Abstract: A system controlling method according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises operating a plurality of agents having mutually independent processes using a shared memory; obtaining hardware control data for controlling one or more devices from each of references generated from the plurality of agents and stored in the shared memory; and transferring control signals according to the references to the one or more devices selected from the hardware control data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: RAINBOW ROBOTICS
    Inventors: Jung Ho Lee, Jeong Soo Lim
  • Patent number: 11135718
    Abstract: Robots, users, or a central controller may leverage Geo analytics and/or augmented reality to search for, discover, access and use robots. The robots may perform tasks to provide selective services on-demand within medicine, agriculture, military, entertainment, manufacturing, personal, or public safety, among other things.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventor: Venson Shaw
  • Patent number: 11130241
    Abstract: This robot includes a robot arm, a controller which controls the robot arm, an operation panel which sends a control signal to the controller, a camera which is provided in the operation panel and which captures images of an operator who operates the operation panel, a determination means which determines whether or not the operator is looking at a surface of the operation panel on which an operation portion is provided on the basis of the images captured by the camera, and a limitation means which limits motion of the robot arm when it is determined that the operator is looking at the surface or when it is determined that the operator has continuously been looking at the surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroshi Katsuhisa
  • Patent number: 11123871
    Abstract: Described in detail herein is autonomous system for performing instructed operations. A switch device in electrical communication with an autonomous robot device and a remote computing system, can replicate a first display of the autonomous robot device on a second display of the remote computing system. The switch device provides an interface for remotely controlling the autonomous robot device via the remote computing system. The autonomous robot device can control the articulated arm to move the at least one card to physically interact with a card reader. The remote computing system can autonomously extract each action performed by the autonomous robot device from the first display in response to replication of the first display on the second display via the switch device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC
    Inventors: Christopher D. Johnson, Timothy Mark Fenton