Patents by Inventor Donald K. Grimm

Donald K. Grimm has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20220032921
    Abstract: A driver monitoring system configured to monitor the performance of a driver of a vehicle communicating wirelessly with the driver monitoring system. The system comprises a driver behavior module that receives from the vehicle event data captured by a plurality of sensors in the vehicle and identifies at least one of a plurality of driver behaviors. A behavior characterization module receives from the driver behavior module the at least one identified driver behavior and characterizes the at least one identified driver behavior into at least one of a plurality of behavior categories. A risk assessment module analyzes the at least one characterized driver behavior in the plurality of behavior categories and determines therefrom a driver profile that may include a risk assessment for the driver of the vehicle system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2020
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Inventors: Andrew P. ROSE, Donald K. GRIMM, Fan BAI
  • Patent number: 11203265
    Abstract: System and method of controlling power distribution from a charging source to an electric vehicle having a battery. The system includes a plurality of switches selectively connectable between the charging source, the battery and a thermal circuit. A controller is configured to control operation of the plurality of switches to provide multiple settings for the electric vehicle. The controller is configured to select from the multiple settings based on part on a trigger signal from a mobile application. The multiple settings include an external power mode, a charging mode, a discharging mode and a mixed charging and conditioning mode. The mixed charging and conditioning mode allows charging of the battery concurrently with thermal conditioning of at least one of the battery and a cabin of the vehicle. The mixed charging and conditioning mode enables a power split between a thermal conditioning power (PT) and a charging power (PC).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Yue-Yun Wang, David J. Brooks, Jun-Mo Kang, Donald K. Grimm
  • Patent number: 11203268
    Abstract: A method and associated system for selecting a charging station for a subject vehicle is described, and includes determining a state of charge of an on-vehicle DC power source arranged to supply electric power to a propulsion system for the subject vehicle. A travel route to a destination point is determined, and locations of a plurality of charging stations proximal to the travel route are identified. Desired states and corresponding weighting factors for a plurality of user-selectable parameters are determined, and a sorting routine is executed to rank the plurality of charging stations proximal to the travel route based upon the desired states and corresponding weighting factors for the plurality of user-selectable parameters and the state of charge of the on-vehicle DC power source. One of the charging stations is selected based upon the ranking, and a charging reservation is scheduled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Kausalya Singuru, Donald K. Grimm, Bakhtiar B. Litkouhi
  • Patent number: 11167769
    Abstract: A vehicle including an advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) and operator-adjustable devices is described. Controlling the vehicle includes identifying a vehicle operator, and capturing a plurality of operator-selectable settings associated with the plurality of operator-adjustable devices for the vehicle operator. A base profile and a second profile are determined for the vehicle operator based upon the first subset associated with non-autonomous operation of the vehicle and the second subset associated with ADAS, respectively. The plurality of operator-adjustable devices are controlled to the operator-selectable settings associated with the base profile when the vehicle is operating in the non-autonomous mode, and the plurality of operator-adjustable devices are controlled to the operator-selectable settings associated with the second profile when the vehicle is being controlled at least in part by one or more of the subsystems of the ADAS.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2021
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Kausalya Singuru, Donald K. Grimm, Bakhtiar B. Litkouhi, Yasen Hu, Nicholas W. Pinto, Yao Hu, Shiming Duan, Bradley R. Frieberg
  • Patent number: 11127292
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for controlling a vehicle. In one embodiment, a method includes: receiving, by a processor, vehicle position data from the vehicle; processing, by the processor, vehicle position data with vehicle position data from other vehicles to determine a lane topology; processing, by the processor, the vehicle position data to determine traffic conditions within a lane of the lane topology; generating, by the processor, a map for controlling the vehicle based on the lane topology and the traffic conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Fan Bai, Shu Chen, Donald K. Grimm, Jinzhu Chen, Bo Yu, David E. Bojanowski
  • Patent number: 11104340
    Abstract: A host vehicle includes an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger in fluid communication with the internal combustion engine, a communication system configured to transmit and receive a traffic-related message, and a controller in communication with the turbocharger and the communication system. The controller is programmed to: receive the traffic-related message via the communication system; and command the internal combustion engine to increase a power output to spool up the turbocharger in response to receiving the traffic-related message. The controller is programmed to determine a number of relevant vehicles. The number of relevant vehicles is a number of vehicles that are in front of the host vehicle and behind a traffic light and affect a movement of the host vehicle toward the traffic light. The traffic-related message is a one of a vehicle message from another vehicle and/or a traffic-light message from the traffic light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Mohammad Naserian, Allan K. Lewis, Donald K. Grimm, Yiran Hu
  • Publication number: 20210213844
    Abstract: A method and associated system for selecting a charging station for a subject vehicle is described, and includes determining a state of charge of an on-vehicle DC power source arranged to supply electric power to a propulsion system for the subject vehicle. A travel route to a destination point is determined, and locations of a plurality of charging stations proximal to the travel route are identified. Desired states and corresponding weighting factors for a plurality of user-selectable parameters are determined, and a sorting routine is executed to rank the plurality of charging stations proximal to the travel route based upon the desired states and corresponding weighting factors for the plurality of user-selectable parameters and the state of charge of the on-vehicle DC power source. One of the charging stations is selected based upon the ranking, and a charging reservation is scheduled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2020
    Publication date: July 15, 2021
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Kausalya Singuru, Donald K. Grimm, Bakhtiar B. Litkouhi
  • Publication number: 20210158062
    Abstract: A system and method for locating a traffic light at a host vehicle. A probe vehicle obtains image data on an intersection that includes the traffic light when the probe vehicle is at the intersection and identifies the traffic light in the intersection from the data. A remote processor creates an observed node in a digital map corresponding to the traffic light and updates a mapped position of a mapped node within the digital map based on an observed position of the observed node. The host vehicle uses the mapped node of the digital map to locate the traffic light when the host vehicle is at the intersection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2019
    Publication date: May 27, 2021
    Inventors: Bo Yu, Ashok Yendluri, Donald K. Grimm, Fan Bai, Jonathan Wilson, Quan Zhang
  • Publication number: 20210146785
    Abstract: A method of using a control system to estimate range of an electrified vehicle operated by a driver includes monitoring a first set of driver behaviors while the vehicle is in operation and comparing the monitored first set of driver behaviors to a plurality of known profiles having respective stored behaviors. The method may include matching the first set of driver behaviors to at least one of the known profiles to create an adapted driver model, modeling an adapted drive cycle profile based on the matched adapted driver model, and calculating a predicted driving range based on the adapted drive cycle profile. The method may classify the monitored first set of driver behaviors as at least one of conservative, neutral, and aggressive, relative to the plurality of known profiles, and model the adapted drive cycle profile is further based on the conservative, neutral, or aggressive classification.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2019
    Publication date: May 20, 2021
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Yue-Yun Wang, Jun-mo Kang, Dongxu Li, Chunhao J. Lee, Jinzhu Chen, Donald K. Grimm, David J. Brooks
  • Publication number: 20210142658
    Abstract: Systems and methods to perform traffic signal management for operation of autonomous vehicles involve obtaining vehicle data from two or more vehicles at an intersection with one or more traffic lights. The vehicle data includes vehicle location, vehicle speed, and image information or images. A method includes determining at least one of three types of information about the one or more traffic lights based on the vehicle data. The three types of information include a location of the one or more traffic lights, a signal phase and timing (SPaT) of the one or more traffic lights, and a lane correspondence of the one or more traffic lights. The method also includes providing the at least one of the three types of information about the one or more traffic lights for the operation of autonomous vehicles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 11, 2019
    Publication date: May 13, 2021
    Inventors: Donald K. Grimm, Fan Bai, Bo Yu, Vivek Vijaya Kumar
  • Publication number: 20210125521
    Abstract: Methods and systems involve obtaining information from one or more sources to determine a real-time context. A method includes determining a situational awareness score indicating a level of vigilance required based on the real-time context, obtaining images of eyes of a driver to detect a gaze pattern of the driver, determining a relevant attention score indicating a level of engagement of the driver in the real-time context based on a match between the gaze pattern of the driver and the real-time context, and obtaining images of the driver to detect behavior of the driver. A driver readiness score is determined and indicates a level of readiness of the driver to resume driving the vehicle based on the behavior of the driver. An off-road glance time is obtained based on using the situational awareness score, the relevant attention score, and the driver readiness score.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2019
    Publication date: April 29, 2021
    Inventors: Ariel Telpaz, Michael Baltaxe, Donald K. Grimm, Gila Kamhi
  • Patent number: 10985756
    Abstract: The present application generally relates to antennas embedded in or on glass structures. More specifically, the application teaches a wideband conformal antenna employing thin film constructions facilitating attachment to external automotive surfaces with capacitive feedback and integrated lighting to enable a conformal activation switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Jonathan L. Oakes, Timothy J. Talty, Andrew H. Leutheuser, Donald K. Grimm
  • Publication number: 20210089120
    Abstract: A method of assessing a gaze of an occupant is provided. The method includes: determining a direction of a gaze of an occupant based on gaze information detected by a first sensor; determining a position of a feature of road based on one or more from among mapping information or vehicle environment information provided by a second sensor; comparing the direction of the gaze to the position of the feature of the road; and performing a corrective action in response to determining that the direction of the gaze does not correspond to the position of the feature of the road.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2019
    Publication date: March 25, 2021
    Inventors: Donald K. Grimm, BeƱat Irastorza-Ugalde, Guillaume Trehard
  • Publication number: 20210031643
    Abstract: System and method of controlling power distribution from a charging source to an electric vehicle having a battery. The system includes a plurality of switches selectively connectable between the charging source, the battery and a thermal circuit. A controller is configured to control operation of the plurality of switches to provide multiple settings for the electric vehicle. The controller is configured to select from the multiple settings based on part on a trigger signal from a mobile application. The multiple settings include an external power mode, a charging mode, a discharging mode and a mixed charging and conditioning mode. The mixed charging and conditioning mode allows charging of the battery concurrently with thermal conditioning of at least one of the battery and a cabin of the vehicle. The mixed charging and conditioning mode enables a power split between a thermal conditioning power (PT) and a charging power (PC).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2019
    Publication date: February 4, 2021
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Yue-Yun Wang, David J. Brooks, Jun-Mo Kang, Donald K. Grimm
  • Publication number: 20210012660
    Abstract: In one example implementation, a computer-implemented method includes receiving, by a host processing device, timestamps from a vehicle processing system of a target vehicle, the timestamps being determined based at least in part on parking area data for a target parking area and vehicle data for the target vehicle. The method further includes calculating, by the host processing device, an arrival rate and a service rate based on the timestamps. The method further includes calculating, by the host processing device, a probability of parking availability for the target parking area based at least in part on the arrival rate and the service rate. The method further includes controlling, by the host processing device, the vehicle based at least in part on the probability of parking availability for the target parking area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2019
    Publication date: January 14, 2021
    Inventors: Shu Chen, Jinzhu Chen, Fan Bai, Donald K. Grimm
  • Patent number: 10875420
    Abstract: A full-service electric vehicle charging station and method of operating the station can provide for efficient and secure vehicle access and movement. The full-service charging station can include a parking area with a charging area; an electric vehicle charger at the charging area; and a full-service charging station server. The full-service charging station server is configured to receive vehicle identification information and a charging confirmation profile from the electric vehicle. The vehicle identification information or the charging confirmation profile includes location information relating to the electric vehicle. Additionally, the full-service charging station server is further configured to disseminate a command profile directly, indirectly, or a combination thereof, to the electric vehicle. The command profile includes a security-based command, a driving command, or both a security-based command and a driving command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Donald K. Grimm, Xiang Zhao
  • Publication number: 20200398860
    Abstract: A vehicle including an advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) and operator-adjustable devices is described. Controlling the vehicle includes identifying a vehicle operator, and capturing a plurality of operator-selectable settings associated with the plurality of operator-adjustable devices for the vehicle operator. A base profile and a second profile are determined for the vehicle operator based upon the first subset associated with non-autonomous operation of the vehicle and the second subset associated with ADAS, respectively. The plurality of operator-adjustable devices are controlled to the operator-selectable settings associated with the base profile when the vehicle is operating in the non-autonomous mode, and the plurality of operator-adjustable devices are controlled to the operator-selectable settings associated with the second profile when the vehicle is being controlled at least in part by one or more of the subsystems of the ADAS.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2019
    Publication date: December 24, 2020
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Kausalya Singuru, Donald K. Grimm, Bakhtiar B. Litkouhi, Yasen Hu, Nicholas W. Pinto, Yao Hu, Shiming Duan, Bradley R. Frieberg
  • Publication number: 20200398637
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for active vehicle cabin occupant detection system. The method includes predicting the presence of a vehicle occupant during operation of a vehicle in response to a door sensor indicative of a door opening, a carbon dioxide level and a pressure sensor in a passenger seat indicative of the vehicle occupant in the passenger seat, detecting the presence of the vehicle occupant using a vehicle cabin motion detector in response to the vehicle being shutdown, confirming the presence of the vehicle occupant using an infrared camera to detect a thermal signature of the vehicle occupant in response to the predicted presence of the vehicle occupant, and transmitting an alert via a wireless transmitter indicative of the presence of the vehicle occupant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2019
    Publication date: December 24, 2020
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Insu Chang, Edward R. Masters, Zhe Li, Dooil Hwang, Donald K. Grimm, Jeremie Dernotte
  • Patent number: 10838423
    Abstract: Presented are systems and methods for deriving speed limits of designated road segments by mining large-scale vehicle data traces. A method for controlling operation of a motor vehicle includes: determining a current location of the vehicle; determining a designated road segment corresponding to the vehicle's location; receiving host speed data indicative of the vehicle's speed while travelling on the road segment for a calibrated timeframe; receiving crowd-sourced speed data indicative of the speeds of participatory vehicles while travelling on the road segment for the calibrated timeframe; accumulating a speed distribution function for the road segment based on the host and crowd-sourced speed data; generating a finite mixture model from the speed distribution function to estimate a speed limit range; selecting a speed limit candidate from the estimated speed limit range; and transmitting command signals to a vehicle subsystem to execute a control operation based on the selected speed limit candidate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Fan Bai, Shu Chen, Donald K. Grimm, David E. Bojanowski, Bo Yu, Jinzhu Chen
  • Publication number: 20200346553
    Abstract: A full-service electric vehicle charging station and method of operating the station can provide for efficient and secure vehicle access and movement. The full-service charging station can include a parking area with a charging area; an electric vehicle charger at the charging area; and a full-service charging station server. The full-service charging station server is configured to receive vehicle identification information and a charging confirmation profile from the electric vehicle. The vehicle identification information or the charging confirmation profile includes location information relating to the electric vehicle. Additionally, the full-service charging station server is further configured to disseminate a command profile directly, indirectly, or a combination thereof, to the electric vehicle. The command profile includes a security-based command, a driving command, or both a security-based command and a driving command.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2019
    Publication date: November 5, 2020
    Inventors: Donald K. Grimm, Xiang Zhao