Patents Examined by Aaron L Troost
  • Patent number: 11360120
    Abstract: A method and system for acquiring, manipulating and displaying inspection data obtained by sensors associated with submersible inspection vehicle within a housing having a liquid medium is disclosed in the present application. A control system including an electronic controller is operably coupled with the inspection vehicle and is configured to display data transmitted from the sensor and overlay input data from an operator on the display to facilitate real time analysis during the inspection event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI ENERGY SWITZERLAND AG
    Inventors: Gregory A. Cole, William J. Eakins, Daniel T. Lasko, Harshang Shah, Thomas A. Fuhlbrigge, Luiz V. Cheim, Poorvi Patel, Biao Zhang, Saumya Sharma, Sanguen Choi
  • Patent number: 11354949
    Abstract: Various examples are directed to systems and methods for dispatching autonomous vehicles. A service arrangement system may receive error data describing an error state at a first autonomous vehicle executing a first transportation service. The first transportation service may include moving a payload from a transportation service start point to a transportation service end point. The service arrangement system may determine, using the error data, a first property of the first autonomous vehicle associated with the error state and select a second autonomous vehicle that does not have the first property. The service arrangement system may send to the second autonomous vehicle a transportation service request requesting that the second autonomous vehicle travel to a rendezvous location to meet the first autonomous vehicle and transport the payload from the rendezvous location to the transportation service end point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Voznesensky, Brent Goldman, Mark Yen, Leigh Hagestad
  • Patent number: 11345339
    Abstract: A vehicle driving assistance apparatus includes a sensing unit for sensing an object outside the vehicle and a processor for obtaining surrounding situation information, based on a location of the object outside the vehicle. The processor is further configured to determine whether the object approaches the vehicle from a traveling lane or a lateral lane, based on the determination of whether the object approaches the vehicle from a traveling lane or a lateral lane, to generate a control signal, and to provide the control signal to a vehicle control system of the vehicle. The generated control signal can control at least one of a drive apparatus of the vehicle, a steering apparatus of the vehicle, or a brake apparatus of the vehicle to either avoid collision between the vehicle and the object or to perform an action that reduces an impulse on the vehicle from the collision.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Hyeonju Bae, Jeongsu Kim, Jinkyo Lee
  • Patent number: 11340090
    Abstract: In an automatic driving vehicle, traveling is continued in a case where a section in which a detailed map in which information required for automatic driving is recorded is not usable occurs during the traveling by the automatic driving. Automatic driving control means 100 for controlling automatic driving of a vehicle and map information holding means 601 for holding a detailed map including traveling lane information are provided. In a case where a section in which a detailed map newer than the detailed map held in the map information holding means 601 is not usable is in a traveling scheduled route, the automatic driving control means 100 continues to perform the automatic driving until a start point of the section is reached, using the detailed map held in the map information holding means 601.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI ASTEMO, LTD
    Inventors: Keisuke Takeuchi, Takashi Tsutsui
  • Patent number: 11334089
    Abstract: Markers and a system for use for autonomous vehicles which can help autonomous vehicles to be aware of their surroundings and/or their spatial location. Such markers can include metallic signage having one or more openings and which can include a front that is spaced a distance from a backing plate. The markers can also include patterns that are stamped, cut or otherwise formed in or on a roadway. When a vehicle traverses over the patterns, a sensor, which can include a sound sensor, can detect the sound or vibration produced by the pattern. Once the pattern is detected, the autonomous vehicle can access a database or other repository of patterns (including but not limited to internal memory) and thus obtain information about the location that the vehicle is traversing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Inventor: Jeffrey W. Bryce
  • Patent number: 11327506
    Abstract: A system and method for monitoring a road segment includes determining a geographic position of a vehicle in context of a digitized roadway map. A perceived point cloud and a mapped point cloud associated with the road segment are determined. An error vector is determined based upon a transformation between the mapped point cloud and the perceived point cloud. A first confidence interval is derived from a Gaussian process that is composed from past observations. A second confidence interval associated with a longitudinal dimension and a third confidence interval associated with a lateral dimension are determined based upon the mapped point cloud and the perceived point cloud. A Kalman filter analysis is executed to dynamically determine a position of the vehicle relative to the roadway map based upon the error vector, the first confidence interval, the second confidence interval, and the third confidence interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Lawrence A. Bush, Brent N. Bacchus, James P. Neville, Upali P. Mudalige
  • Patent number: 11320539
    Abstract: Disclosed are an electric water sports device and a monitoring system. The electric water sports device includes a device body; wherein the device body is provided with a positioning system, a controller and an electric power acquisition module, wherein the controller includes an electronic map, the positioning system is configured to acquire positioning data of the electric water sports device and send the positioning data to the controller, the electric power acquisition module is configured to acquire electric power data of the electric water sports device and send the electric power data to the controller, and the controller is configured to determine the range of an electric fence in the electronic map according to the positioning data and the electric power data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Inventor: Yu Tian
  • Patent number: 11320268
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a construction method of a joint flight path to a mobile point including the step of acquiring a first state vector defining the position of the aircraft at the moment t0, acquiring a second state vector defining the position of the mobile point at each moment t after the moment t0. The method further includes determining, for each position of the mobile point, an elementary join flight path of this position of the mobile point from the position of the aircraft defined by the first state vector at the moment t0 with a capture time Tt corresponding to the time of flight of the aircraft on this flight path. The method also includes determining the flight path such that its capture time Tt is substantially equal to the time elapsed between the moment t associated with this trajectory and the moment t0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: THALES
    Inventors: Grégoire Jacotot, Solal Guirand, Dominique Blanc
  • Patent number: 11318956
    Abstract: An assistance system for assisting the driver of a motor vehicle when positioning the motor vehicle at a predefined target position is provided. The target position is preferably a charging position for wireless, in particular inductive, charging of the motor vehicle. In order to position the motor vehicle, the longitudinal movement of the vehicle can be controlled manually by one or more operator control elements (e.g., accelerator pedal, brake pedal) which can be actuated by the driver. The assistance system assists the manual longitudinal control during positioning. The assistance system serves to influence the manual longitudinal control. By influencing the manual longitudinal control, the assistance system counteracts, as a function of the respective position information, the longitudinal movement of the vehicle at least for certain relative positions, in order to bring the vehicle to a stop essentially at the target position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Josef Krammer, Dirk Ahrens, Jochen Otzelberger, Reiner Friedrich
  • Patent number: 11312199
    Abstract: An active vehicle height control method may include securing a road surface profile for unevenness of a road ahead of a vehicle and forming a target vehicle height profile by filtering the road surface profile. In addition, a controller is configured to form a disturbance profile using the road surface profile and the target vehicle height profile. The controller estimates vehicle behavior for the disturbance profile. Furthermore, the controller determines an inverse-phase control force that minimizes the estimated vehicle behavior, and drives an actuator using the inverse-phase control force to adjust a height of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation, Kookmin University Industry Academy Cooperation Foundation
    Inventors: Young Il Sohn, Min Woo Soh, Ki Hong Park
  • Patent number: 11307595
    Abstract: A vision apparatus for a moving body is provided. The vision apparatus for a moving body includes a plurality of cameras that are arranged to be distanced from one another, and are arranged in a diagonal direction to the moving direction of the moving body, and a processor that receives images photographed at each of the plurality of cameras, and stereo-matches the plurality of received images and generates distance information for all directions of the moving body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: MULTIPLEYE CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Jongwoo Lim
  • Patent number: 11300975
    Abstract: A self-moving device is provided and includes a signal detector configured to detect a boundary wire signal, a coordinate obtaining module, and a control module. The control module includes a program module and a processing module. When the signal detector does not detect the boundary wire signal, the self-moving device inputs location coordinates obtained by the coordinate obtaining module into the program module, to obtain a first determining result whether the self-moving device is within the boundary wire, and the processing module controls the self-moving device to move and work; and when the signal detector detects the boundary wire signal, the self-moving device inputs the boundary wire signal obtained by the signal detector into the program module, to obtain a second determining result whether the self-moving device is within the boundary wire, and the processing module controls the self-moving device to move and work.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: Positec Power Tools (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Davide Dalfra, Emanuel Conti
  • Patent number: 11293777
    Abstract: An aid method for controlling the energy situation of an aircraft. The method includes determining (i) an energy meeting point corresponding to a constraint point, (ii) a meeting type based on the constraint at the constraint point, (iii) an energy state of the aircraft relative to a reference altitude profile determined by a flight management system, (iv) a high-energy joining profile representative of a future path of the aircraft with an energy dissipation strategy, and (v) energy deviations relative to the high-energy joining profile. Determining the high energy joining profile is carried out backwards depending on the type of meeting and the energy state of the aircraft. The energy deviations are displayed to an operator of the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: THALES
    Inventors: Geoffrey Durand, Johan Boyer
  • Patent number: 11287818
    Abstract: A method of controlling navigation of autonomous vehicles includes accessing map data descriptive of the identity and location of different travel ways within a surrounding environment of an autonomous vehicle and accessing constraint data descriptive of one or more geographic areas or geographic identifiers, within the map data, for which associated navigational constraints are defined. The constraint data includes a depart constraint that specifies an area that an autonomous vehicle may not enter but may exit if inside the area when the depart constraint is imposed, thereby preventing the autonomous vehicle from being trapped in a forbidden area even though the autonomous vehicle may safely complete its route. A travel route is determined for the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on the map data evaluated relative to the constraint data including the depart constraint, and motion of the autonomous vehicle is controlled based on the determined travel route.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: UATC, LLC
    Inventors: Adam Panzica, Xiaodong Zhang
  • Patent number: 11287831
    Abstract: There is provided an electrically-powered material-transport vehicle having a vehicle-charging contact on one side of the vehicle, and a second vehicle-charging contact on the opposite side of the vehicle. The vehicle has a load-bearing cap that covers the top of the vehicle, and a cap elevator for raising and lowering the cap. The cap can be raised and lowered to a transit position, a payload-engagement position, a charging position, and a maintenance position. In the transit position and payload-engagement position, the cap covers the vehicle-charging contacts so that they are not exposed. In the charging position, the cap is raised so that the vehicle-charging contacts are exposed. The vehicle can enter a charging-dock with the cap in the charging position in order to recharge the vehicle's battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: Clearpath Robotics Inc.
    Inventors: Ryan Christopher Gariepy, Matthew Allen Rendall, John Duncan Edwards, Aaron Wilson, Simon Drexler, Scott Waters, Aaron Gerlach, Mark Podbevsek, Michael Irvine, Vaibhav Kumar Mehta, Peiyi Chen, Amritpal Saini, Robert Dam, Michael O'Driscoll, Arsalan Alim
  • Patent number: 11281237
    Abstract: A system for distributed control of an aircraft. The system includes a plurality of flight components, an aircraft control located within the aircraft, and an aircraft component attached to a flight component of the plurality of flight components. The aircraft component is configured to receive, from a command sensor attached to the aircraft control, an aircraft command, obtain, from an attitude sensor, an aircraft orientation, and command the flight component to produce a response command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: BETA AIR, LLC
    Inventors: Andrew Giroux, Timothy Gerard Richter, Nicholas Moy
  • Patent number: 11282401
    Abstract: Described herein are methods and systems for automatically operating autonomous vehicles to accomplish a coverage task by receiving a plurality of task parameters defining a coverage task in a certain geographical area, calculating and outputting instructions for operating first autonomous vehicle(s) to cover the certain geographical area according to a first movement path computed according to operational parameters of the first autonomous vehicle with respect to the task parameters, identifying uncovered segment(s) in the certain geographical area by analyzing coverage of the certain geographical, and calculating and outputting instructions for operating second autonomous vehicle(s) to cover the uncovered segment(s) according to a second movement path computed according to operational parameters of the second autonomous vehicle. The first autonomous vehicle(s) and the second autonomous vehicle(s) are selected to optimally accomplish the coverage task.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Blue White Robotics Ltd
    Inventors: Aviram Shmueli, Alon Ascher, Ben Alfi, Shmuel Ur
  • Patent number: 11282395
    Abstract: A method for operating an automated vehicle convoy includes periodically wirelessly transmitting messages from preceding participants of the automated vehicle convoy to respective following participants of the automated vehicle convoy, proceeding from the leading participant of the automated vehicle convoy. The messages include at least one piece of, in particular temporal, information from which a minimum distance between each following participant and the respective preceding participant is ascertained. The following participants of the automated vehicle convoy are guided corresponding to the ascertained minimum distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Klaus Sambale, Christian Zimmermann, Frank Hofmann, Soheil Gherekhloo
  • Patent number: 11269359
    Abstract: A method and system are provided for operating an automatically guided container transport vehicle that can be automatically guided during forward driving and during rearward driving. The transport vehicle includes a towing vehicle and a trailer with a loading surface for at least one container. The transport vehicle has a vehicle control system for controlling a steering system and a travel drive of the transport vehicle in such a way that the transport vehicle follows a nominal route. The nominal route is automatically pre-defined taking into account a trajectory of the transport vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: Konecranes Global Corporation
    Inventors: Armin Wieschemann, Stefan Aldejohann, Heiko Schulz, Jan Philipp Schmidt-Ewig, Heinz-Christoph Eichner, Mohammad Ahmadian
  • Patent number: 11260845
    Abstract: A control system for a hybrid vehicle. The system comprises a controller configured to cause a net negative drive torque to be applied by an engine or an electric machine of the vehicle to the input shaft of a transmission in a direction opposing travel of the vehicle to effect braking, determine when a transmission gear shift is about to occur requiring a non-negative torque to be applied at the input shaft, and when the gear shift is about to occur, temporarily cause a net non-negative drive torque to be applied to the input shaft by causing the electric machine to apply a positive drive torque to the input shaft to compensate for negative torque applied by the engine, and cause brake force to be applied by a braking system to compensate for a reduction in negative drive torque applied to the input shaft, while the gear shift occurs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited
    Inventors: Manoj Lad, Matthew Hancock, Neil Dixon, Christopher Green