Patents Examined by Tyler Paige
  • Patent number: 10344906
    Abstract: An isolated human work platform for stabilized positioning of collaborative robotics. A base platform is provided, and a work platform is positioned above the base platform for supporting one or more humans. One or more robots are supported on the base platform independently of the work platform, so that movement of the work platform does not affect the robots' positions. The work platform is isolated from the robots for stabilized positioning of the robots, so that the base platform and work platform together provide a collaborative workspace for the robots and the humans.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY
    Inventors: John Eric Miller, Dennis R. Mathis
  • Patent number: 10081369
    Abstract: A drive support apparatus includes a positioner determining a current position of a subject vehicle, a road determiner determining a currently-traveled road of the subject vehicle by map-matching the current position on a link of a road map, a node determiner determining a first intersection node on the currently-traveled road, a priority determiner determining whether the currently-traveled road is a priority road at the first intersection node against an intersecting road, a drive support controller performing a suppressed drive support control when the priority determiner determines that the currently-traveled road is a priority road, and an area setter setting a determination-kept-unchanged (D-K-U) area based on the intersection node. Based on the above, the drive support apparatus can accurately determine whether a current situation is a drive support suppression situation in which the drive support to a driver should not be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Motonori Ando
  • Patent number: 10065638
    Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling an autonomous vehicle are provided. In one example embodiment, a computer-implemented method includes receiving data indicative of an operating mode of the vehicle, wherein the vehicle is configured to operate in a plurality of operating modes. The method includes determining one or more response characteristics of the vehicle based at least in part on the operating mode of the vehicle, each response characteristic indicating how the vehicle responds to a potential collision. The method includes controlling the vehicle based at least in part on the one or more response characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew Shaw Wood, William M. Leach, Scott C. Poeppel, Nicholas G. Letwin, Noah Zych
  • Patent number: 10061745
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques for implementing vehicle ECU reprograming, so the ECU programming, which plays a large role in vehicle performance characteristics, is tailored to current operational requirements, which may be different than the operational characteristics selected by the manufacturer when initially programming the vehicle ECU (or ECUs) with specific instruction sets, such as fuel maps. In one embodiment, a controller monitors the current operational characteristics of the vehicle, determines the current ECU programming, and determines if a different programming set would better suited to the current operating conditions. In the event that the current programming set should be replaced, the controller implements the ECU reprogramming. In a related embodiment, users are enabled to specify the ECU programming to change, such as changing speed limiter settings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: ZONAR SYTEMS, INC.
    Inventors: Charles Michael McQuade, Bryan Hunt, Dan Mayer
  • Patent number: 10054446
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for combining sensor data to measure vehicle movement. Embodiments may collect vehicle and driving data using sensors of a mobile device of a user, such as a location determination sensor and a movement determination sensor. In some embodiments, the data from the sensors may be combined to more accurately estimate vehicle movement, such as vehicle acceleration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: TRUEMOTION, INC.
    Inventors: Brad Cordova, Sanujit Sahoo, Nicholas Arcolano, John Emhoff
  • Patent number: 10055906
    Abstract: A system and method to rapidly perform emissions measurements of in-use vehicles being driven by the general public for comparison with vehicle inspection OBD emission fault code testing results for determining if the inspection results indicate that false failures are being generated for a particular vehicle group, such as based on make and model, engine size, engine combustion management technology and/or pollution control technology, or determining if the inspection results correlate with increased in-use emissions. The system may access or integrate with a database of vehicle inspection OBD emission fault code testing results that may be analyzed to evaluate the existence of higher than normal or expected OBD failure rates for emissions related items. The system and method require no recruitment testing of in-use vehicles with potentially detectable connections, but instead incorporate a vehicle emissions remote sensing device that does not require mechanical or electrical connection to the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Opus Inspection, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas J. Fournier, Niranjan Vescio, Peter M. McClintock
  • Patent number: 10048699
    Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus includes: a storage apparatus configured to store a steering modification point of a vehicle and a vehicle speed target point of the vehicle that are associated with map information; and an electronic control unit configured to: detect a position of the vehicle; detect a travel direction of the vehicle; calculate a lane travel distance, the position of the vehicle, and the travel direction of the vehicle; generate, lane travel map data, a target direction of the vehicle, and a target vehicle speed of the vehicle, on the basis of the map information, the steering modification point, the vehicle speed target point, the position of the vehicle, and the travel direction of the vehicle; and output a control signal to control the vehicle on the basis of the position of the vehicle, the lane travel distance of the vehicle, and the lane travel map data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO, National University Corporation Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
    Inventors: Hideo Inoue, Masahiro Mio, Masayuki Okuwa, Tsukasa Shimizu, Minoru Kamata, Takuma Ito, Pongsathorn Raksincharoensak, Masao Nagai
  • Patent number: 10042360
    Abstract: An aircraft including a wing system, a plurality of control surfaces, a camera mounted on a camera pod, and a control system. The camera pod is configured to vary the orientation of the camera field of view only in yaw, relative to the aircraft, between a directly forward-looking orientation and a side-looking orientation. The control system controls the control surfaces such that they induce a significant aircraft yaw causing an identified target to be within the field of view of the camera with the camera in the directly forward-looking orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: AeroVironment, Inc.
    Inventors: William J. Nicoloff, Eric M. Sornborger, Lars B. Cremean
  • Patent number: 10042362
    Abstract: A route for a trip to a destination is generated using map information. A set of no-go roadway segments, where the vehicle is not able to drive in an autonomous mode, relevant to the route from the plurality of no-go roadway segments is identified from the map information. A local region around a current location of the vehicle is determined. A local map region including roadway segments of the map information that correspond to locations within the local region is determined. The set of the plurality of no-go roadway segments is filtered from the roadway segments of the local map region. A cost value is assigned to each roadway segment of the filtered roadway segments of the local map region. Any assigned cost values are used to determining a plan for maneuvering the vehicle for a predetermined period into the future. The vehicle is maneuvered according to the plan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventors: Nathaniel Fairfield, Joshua Seth Herbach
  • Patent number: 10035431
    Abstract: An electric vehicle includes front and rear wheels, a battery, an electric motor that drives at least one of the front and rear wheels, an accelerator, and a mode shift operator that is operated by a user in order to switch drive modes. The electric vehicle includes a driving force characteristics setter that sets, for each of the plurality of drive modes, driving force characteristics which are characteristics of an accelerator opening degree and a target motor driving force for the rotational speed of the electric motor. The electric vehicle further includes a controller which shifts up, according to an operation of the mode shift operator, the drive mode from a first drive mode to a second drive mode and which controls the target motor driving force according to the driving force characteristics. When a shift-down prohibition condition is met, the controller prohibits a shift down from the second drive mode to the first drive mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2018
    Assignee: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshiki Mochizuki, Hisashi Murase
  • Patent number: 10031519
    Abstract: In a driving support device, an image output unit outputs image information including a vehicle object representing a vehicle and a sign object representing a sign, to a display unit. An operation signal input unit receives an operation signal of a user for moving, in the image displayed on the display unit, the vehicle object to the position of the sign object or for moving the sign object to the position of the vehicle object. A command output unit outputs a command corresponding to the display content in the sign object when the operation signal is received, to an automatic driving control unit that controls automatic driving.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazushige Yamada, Osamu Yamaji, Azusa Gojyo, Satoshi Kajita, Toshiaki Mori, Makoto Okada
  • Patent number: 10032275
    Abstract: This disclosure describes systems, methods, and apparatus for automating the verification of aerial vehicle sensors as part of a pre-flight, flight departure, in-transit flight, and/or delivery destination calibration verification process. At different stages, aerial vehicle sensors may obtain sensor measurements about objects within an environment, the obtained measurements may be processed to determine information about the object, as presented in the measurements, and the processed information may be compared with the actual information about the object to determine a variation or difference between the information. If the variation is within a tolerance range, the sensor may be auto adjusted and operation of the aerial vehicle may continue. If the variation exceeds a correction range, flight of the aerial vehicle may be aborted and the aerial vehicle routed for a full sensor calibration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Joshua John Watson, Benjamin Griffin Novak, Barry James O'Brien, Scott Michael Wilcox, Benjamin Israel Caro, Scott Patrick Boyd
  • Patent number: 10024671
    Abstract: A multi-stop route selection system may include a telematics device associated with a vehicle having one or more sensors arranged therein, a mobile device, and a server computer. The server computer may receive driving data of a driver of the vehicle and a vehicle location from the telematics device, determine one or more driving behaviors of the driver based on the driving data, receive data regarding a calendar of the driver from the mobile device, identify a plurality of appointments in the calendar, determine a route comprising multiple destinations for the driver based on the vehicle location, the one or more driving behaviors, and the plurality of appointments, transmit the route to the mobile device, receive a request to add a new destination to the route from the mobile device, generate a modified route comprising the new destination, and transmit the modified route for the driver to the mobile device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company
    Inventors: Elizabeth Schreier, Jamie Elizabeth Grahn
  • Patent number: 10023161
    Abstract: An automatic emergency braking system for a vehicle includes a forward viewing camera and a control. At least in part responsive to processing of captured image data, the presence of another vehicle closing on the subject vehicle is determined, and a relative speed of the subject vehicle relative to the other vehicle is also determined. Responsive at least in part to a speed of the subject vehicle and the determined relative speed, the control controls the subject vehicle's brake system. Responsive to determination that the driver of the subject vehicle is impaired, the automatic emergency braking system does not allow the driver to override the control's control of the subject vehicle's brake system. Responsive to a determination that the driver of the subject vehicle is not impaired, the automatic emergency braking system allows the driver to override the control's control of the subject vehicle' brake system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Nathaniel S. Johnson, William J. Chundrlik, Jr., Paul A. VanOphem, Christopher L. Van Dan Elzen
  • Patent number: 10023326
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a controller instructs an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) docked to a landing perch to perform a pre-flight test operation of a pre-flight test routine. The controller receives sensor data associated with the pre-flight test operation from one or more force sensors of the landing perch, in response to the UAV performing the pre-flight test operation. The controller determines whether the sensor data associated with the pre-flight test operation is within an acceptable range. The controller causes the UAV to launch from the landing perch based in part on a determination that UAV has passed the pre-flight test routine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2018
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles Calvin Byers, Gonzalo Salgueiro
  • Patent number: 10017263
    Abstract: An impact mitigation system for an aircraft and method of deploying the impact mitigation system is disclosed. A state parameter of the aircraft is obtained. The state parameter is used with an aircraft performance model to determine an acceleration capability of the aircraft. A trajectory of the aircraft is predicted using the state parameter of the aircraft and the acceleration capability of the aircraft. A location of an object with respect to the aircraft is determined and the impact mitigation system is deployed when the predicted trajectory indicates a contact with the object at a predicted contact velocity higher than a threshold velocity at a future time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Anthony Litwinowicz, Kwok Cheng
  • Patent number: 10017249
    Abstract: Systems and methods in accordance with various embodiments of the invention can be utilized to implement unmanned aerial vehicles (“UAVs”) designed for autonomous operation in cluttered environments, indoor environments and/or as photography drones. One embodiment includes: launching an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); performing in flight path planning to scan an area for people using the UAV; detecting the presence of at least one subject by processing image data captured by at least one camera on the UAV; determining at least one pose from which to capture images of detected at least one subject using the UAV; performing path planning to navigate the UAV to the determined at least one pose; and capturing images of the detected at least one subject using at least one camera on the UAV when the UAV is posed in one of the determined at least one pose.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: Aevena, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Tseng, Bryan Edwards
  • Patent number: 10016805
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for performing an assembly operation. A tool may be macro-positioned relative to an exterior of a fuselage assembly. The tool may be micro-positioned relative to a particular location on the exterior of the fuselage assembly. An end effector is removably associated with an external robotic device associated with an external mobile platform. The tool is removably associated with the end effector. An assembly operation may be performed at the particular location on the panel using the tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Harinder S. Oberoi, Richard Griffith Reese, IV, Kevin Marion Barrick, Quang T. Do, Jeffrey Lawrence Miller, Vanco Stojanoski
  • Patent number: 10011282
    Abstract: A prime mover arrangement includes a prime mover (23) including a first shaft (25) driven by the prime mover, a second shaft (27), and a speed and torque manipulator (29) connected to the first shaft (25) and to the second shaft (27), the speed and torque manipulator permitting manipulation between at least one non-one-to-one ratio or a plurality of different input/output ratios of speeds and torques input by the first shaft and output to the second shaft. A method is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignee: Volvo Truck Corporation
    Inventors: John Jerwick, Brian Gordon, Todd Werner
  • Patent number: 10011297
    Abstract: A vehicle steering device includes: a target-steered-angle setting unit configured to set a left target steered angle that is a target value of the steered angle of a left steered wheel and a right target steered angle that is a target value of the steered angle of a right steered wheel; left motor controllers configured to control a left steering motor based on a left-steered-angle deviation that is a difference between the left steered angle and the left target steered angle; right motor controllers configured to control a right steering motor based on a right-steered-angle deviation that is a difference between the right steered angle and the right target steered angle; and an abnormality determination unit configured to determine that an abnormality has occurred when an absolute value of difference between the left-steered-angle deviation and the right-steered-angle deviation is equal to or larger than a first threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignee: JTEKT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshiaki Oya, Kotaro Okada