Patents Examined by Michael V Kerrigan
  • Patent number: 11768497
    Abstract: A vehicle control system includes a first controller, a first communication unit, and a second controller and communication unit both on board a vehicle. The second controller is configured to generate first control signals for controlling the vehicle based at least in part on second control signals received by the second communication unit from the first communication unit. The first controller is configured to receive proximity signals relating to a geographic proximity between two or more designated transports. The transports are respective movements of material from respective first locations to respective second locations. The first controller is further configured to generate a control plan for the two or more transports based at least in part on the proximity signals, and generate the second control signals, for communication to the second controller for controlling completion of the two or more transports, based on the control plan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: Transportation IP Holdings, LLC
    Inventor: Edward McQuillan
  • Patent number: 11760282
    Abstract: A method for detecting a special operating state of a motor vehicle which differs from a normal operating state of the motor vehicle, in which a noise emitted by the motor vehicle during operation of the motor vehicle is captured in the interior of the motor vehicle using a mobile apparatus which is separate from the motor vehicle, and the noise is compared with a plurality of reference noises provided by the mobile apparatus, the noise being assigned to a most similar reference noise of the plurality of reference noises on the basis of the comparison if a minimum similarity value is exceeded, and the special operating state being detected by the assignment which has been carried out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: VITESCO TECHNOLOGIES GMBH
    Inventor: Carsten Bruns
  • Patent number: 11755012
    Abstract: This patent application discloses methods and systems for alerting computerized motor-vehicles about predicted accidents. In an example method, a motor vehicle alerts another motor vehicle about a predicted accident, even though that accident is between the alerting car and a third motor vehicle—for example, the alert is transmitted by non-visual electromagnetic (EM) radiation. When an adjacent motor vehicle receives such accident alert and determines it might itself be hit, it will react so as to minimize its chances of being hit or at least to minimize the damage if it is being hit. Optionally, one or more of the motor vehicles has an onboard device for measuring a blood-alcohol level of a human driver thereof. The measured blood-alcohol level may be used to compute a probability of an occurrence of an accident and/or may be included in one or more of the transmitted accident alerts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Inventors: Dov Moran, Menahem Lasser
  • Patent number: 11755029
    Abstract: Examples described may enable provision of remote assistance for an autonomous vehicle. An example method includes a computing system operating in a rewind mode. In the rewind mode, the system may be configured to provide information to a remote assistance operated based on a remote-assistance triggering criteria being met, such as a detected object having a low detection confidence. When the triggering criteria is met, the remote assistance system may provide data from the time leading up to when the remote-assistance triggering criteria was met that was capture of the environment of autonomous vehicle to the remote assistance operator. Based on viewing the data, the remote assistance operator may provide and input to the system that causes a command to be issued to the autonomous vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventor: Joshua Herbach
  • Patent number: 11745813
    Abstract: An automated vehicle inspection system includes a diagnostic terminal mounted in a vehicle and connected to an engine control unit (ECU) of the vehicle, sequentially operating individual electric components through the ECU based on stored electric component inspection items while the vehicle passes through a watertight booth and receiving individual operating currents measured to determine whether the electric components normally operate, a transceiver connecting to the diagnostic terminal and a wireless diagnostic communication network through an antenna disposed in the watertight booth process line, and an inspector recognizing a vehicle ID of a vehicle that enters the watertight booth, transmitting inspection items according to a vehicle type and specification of the vehicle ID to the diagnostic terminal through the diagnostic communication network, and recognizing a vehicle ID of a vehicle that leaves the watertight booth to collect inspection results determined in the diagnostic terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA MOTORS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tae Sung Kwon, Gun Son, Kyungbae Yoon, Yeon Ji Choi
  • Patent number: 11738779
    Abstract: A system includes an acquisition unit that acquires an operation amount or a duration count, and a switching unit that switches a driving state. The switching unit switches the driving state to the cooperative driving state when the operation amount is equal to or greater than an intervention threshold and less than a start threshold or the duration count is equal to or greater than a first threshold and less than a second threshold during the autonomous driving state, switches the driving state to the autonomous driving state when the operation amount is less than the intervention threshold or the duration count is less than the first threshold during the cooperative driving state, and switches the driving state to the manual driving state when the operation amount is equal to or greater than the start threshold or the duration count is equal to or greater than the second threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Urano, Kentaro Ichikawa, Taisuke Sugaiwa, Toshiki Kindo
  • Patent number: 11734969
    Abstract: Systems and methods for processing telematics data streams for event detection are provided. The methods involve operating at least one processor to: receive a telematics data stream; define a plurality of sliding windows for the telematics data stream, each sliding window containing a portion of the telematics data stream, each sliding window overlapping with one or more neighboring sliding windows, each sliding window including: a logical window; a first buffer preceding the logical window; and a second buffer following the logical window; the logical window being adjacent with one or more neighboring logical windows of the one or more neighboring sliding windows without overlapping the one or more neighboring logical windows; identify a vehicle event based on the portion of the telematics data stream contained within one of the sliding windows; and store an indication of the vehicle event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: Geotab Inc.
    Inventors: Mengyang Liu, Xiao Ma, Nianlong Yu, Wenyang Liu
  • Patent number: 11731744
    Abstract: A control system for a marine propulsion device includes a propeller driven by either an engine or a motor. The control system includes a first memory to store first information to identify whether the control system has shut down normally or abnormally even during a reset period of the control system, a second memory to store second information indicating control states of the engine and the motor even during the reset period of the control system, and a controller configured or programmed to start controlling the engine and the motor, based on the second information stored in the second memory, when the first information stored in the first memory indicates an abnormal shutdown of the control system at a startup of the control system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yuji Ikegaya
  • Patent number: 11721138
    Abstract: A method for trigger action management in a telematics device, and a telematics device employing the method are provided. The method includes receiving a log and trigger configuration, and in response to detecting a trigger condition, performing an associated action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2023
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: Geotab Inc.
    Inventors: Shamseddin Ali T Elmasri, Abdelraheem Alkuor, Daniel Raymond Lizewski
  • Patent number: 11708084
    Abstract: Vehicle sound attenuation systems and methods are provided herein. An example method includes determining a triggering event for a vehicle using an advanced driver assisted technology system, and controlling a sound enhancing system of the vehicle in response to the triggering event. Controlling the sound enhancing system may include attenuating engine or exhaust sound produced by the sound enhancing system of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Sumanth Reddy Dadam, Vinod Kumar Ravi, Hani Mohammad Ayesh
  • Patent number: 11709220
    Abstract: A network system uses Wi-Fi signals or other types of short-range transmissions to determine pickup locations for users receiving services provided via the network system. The network system builds a database of search records mapping pickup locations to signatures of short-range transmission detected by users' client devices when they searched for the pickup locations. By comparing a signature detected by a given user's client device to the signatures in the database, the network system can check for similarities between the short-range transmissions. Responsive to finding a match, the network system predicts that the given user is likely to select a similar pickup location as other users whose client devices detected the signatures corresponding to the match. Accordingly, by leveraging the database, the network system can predict pickup locations without requiring the given user to input a search for a pickup location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2023
    Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Anson Chu, Brandon Iles, Dinesh Ramasamy, Juthika Kiran Dabholkar, Upamanyu Madhow, William J. Salisbury, Brent Hamby
  • Patent number: 11703341
    Abstract: Methods and systems for operating a transport climate control system of a vehicle are provided. The method includes obtaining a state of charge of an energy storage device capable of providing power to the transport climate control system; determining an energy level including the state of charge, receiving a planned route for the vehicle, and receiving route status data associated with the planned route for the vehicle. The route status data includes traffic data, weather data, and/or geographic data identifying areas where the transport climate control system is to be solely powered by the energy storage device. The method further includes determining whether the energy level is sufficient to complete the planned route for the vehicle based on the planned route and the route data, and when the energy level is not sufficient to complete the planned route for the vehicle, providing a notification to a user via a display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: Thermo King LLC
    Inventors: Matthew Srnec, Wallace Hubbard, Michael James Vanous, Mark D. Leasure, Paul J. Kroes, Philip Lavrich
  • Patent number: 11702065
    Abstract: A vehicle includes actuator systems that are able to cause motion of the vehicle, a thermal management system that controls temperatures for the actuator systems, and a vehicle control module that is operable to determine a control strategy to achieve a desired vehicle motion, output commands to the actuator systems to achieve the desired vehicle motion, determine thermal regulation requirements for the control strategy, and control operation of the thermal management system according to the thermal regulation requirements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventor: Alexander Hitzinger
  • Patent number: 11702287
    Abstract: A hybrid modular storage fetching system is described. In an example implementation, an automated guided vehicle of the hybrid modular storage fetching system includes a drive unit that provides motive force to propel the automated guided vehicle within an operating environment. The automated guided vehicle may also include a container handling mechanism including an extender and a carrying surface, the container handling mechanism having three or more degrees of freedom to move the carrying surface along three or more axes. The container handling mechanism may retrieve an item from a first target shelving unit using the carrying surface and the three or more degrees of freedom and place the item on a second target shelving unit. The automated guided vehicle may also include a power source coupled to provide power to the drive unit and the container handling mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: Staples, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Jarvis, Paolo Gerli Amador, Michael Bhaskaran, Amit Kalra, Rodney Gallaway, Vikranth Gopalakrishnan
  • Patent number: 11704946
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method in a data processing system that includes at least one processor and at least one memory. The at least one memory includes instructions executed by the at least one processor to implement a bounded-error estimator system. The method includes receiving information about a plurality of vehicle states of a vehicle from at least one sensor, determining that the information is missing data about at least one vehicle state of the plurality of vehicle states, and determining an estimated vehicle state associated with a final vehicle state. Determining the estimated vehicle state includes calculating a plurality of augmented states for each of the vehicle states included in the plurality of vehicle states and calculating the estimated vehicle state based on the plurality of augmented states. The estimated vehicle state is provided to a vehicle control system of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: ARIZONA BOARD OF REGENTS ON BEHALF OF ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Syed Hassaan, Qiang Shen, Sze Zheng Yong
  • Patent number: 11694485
    Abstract: An information processing device mounted on a vehicle includes a processor configured to: send abnormality occurrence information to a predetermined server through a first communication unit when an occurrence of an abnormality is detected in the vehicle, the abnormality occurrence information indicating the occurrence of the abnormality, the first communication unit being mounted on the vehicle and configured to perform communication via a base station using a first communication method; and send a proxy sending request to a terminal around the vehicle through a second communication unit when communication with the predetermined server cannot be performed through the first communication unit, the proxy sending request being a request to send the abnormality occurrence information to the predetermined server in proxy mode, the second communication unit being mounted on the vehicle and configured to perform communication using a second communication method that allows for terminal-to-terminal direct communicat
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akira Sasaki, Jun Hioki, Kazuki Matsumoto, Fumio Wada
  • Patent number: 11688208
    Abstract: System, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to improving scheduling tasks within an edge-computing environment. In one embodiment, a method includes, upon establishing a communication connection with a vehicle by an edge device of the edge-computing environment, collecting offloading information about the vehicle including task information describing at least a vehicle task that is to be offloaded to the edge device and context information about aspects relating to operation of the vehicle. The method includes triggering offloading of the vehicle task to the edge device in response to determining that at least the context information satisfies a scheduling threshold. The method includes providing, by the edge device, a result of executing the vehicle task to the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Haoxin Wang, BaekGyu Kim
  • Patent number: 11688213
    Abstract: Methods and systems for processing telematics data are provided. In one embodiment, a method is provided that includes obtaining telematics information from a first device associated with a vehicle. The telematics information may indicate operations of the vehicle. An anomalous operation of the vehicle may then be determined based on the telematics information. The method may further include determining whether the anomalous operation of the vehicle is a vehicle collision. If the anomalous operation of the vehicle is a vehicle collision, routing information for the vehicle may be received that identifies previous locations of the vehicle. The routing information may then be compared with the telematics information to identify a location of the vehicle collision.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Lyft, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Jonathan DiCarlo, Renee Hei-Kyung Park, Alya Abbott, Paul Alfred Dickinson, Desmond Mawuko Torkornoo, Akash Gaurav Shah, Louis John Zell, Preet Singh Anand
  • Patent number: 11657711
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to a distributed data center that includes resources carried by a fleet of vehicles. The system includes sensors configured to generate output signals conveying information related to the vehicles and/or the surroundings of vehicles. The system includes a remote computing server configured to maintain map data and distribute it to the fleet, including local map data to individual vehicles pertaining to their surroundings. Individual vehicles may compare the local map data with the information related to their individual surroundings. Based on such comparisons, individual vehicles may detect discrepancies between the local map data and the information related to their individual surroundings. The remote computing server may modify and/or update the map data based on the detected discrepancies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: SmartDrive Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Nicholas Shayne Brookins, Reza Ghanbari, David Forney, Mark Freitas, Daniel Andrew Deninger, Jeffrey Griswold, Jason Palmer
  • Patent number: 11651627
    Abstract: Embodiments determine an optimized maintenance schedule for a maintenance program that includes multiple levels, each level including at least one asset (i.e., asset type) and at least one of the levels including a plurality of assets. Embodiments receive historical failure data for each of the assets, the historical failure data generated at least in part by a sensor network. For each asset, embodiments generate a probability density function (“PDF”) using kernel density estimation (“KDE”). For each asset, based on a reliability rate threshold, embodiments determine a cumulative density function (“CDF”) using the PDF. For each asset, embodiments determine an optimized time to failure (“TTF”) using the CDF. Embodiments then create the schedule for each level that includes a minimum TTF for the assets at each level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Amit Vaid, Neha Tomar, Utkarsh Milind Desai, Vijayalakshmi Krishnamurthy, Goldee Udani