Patents Examined by Adam M Alharbi
  • Patent number: 11470767
    Abstract: A seed depth device for an agricultural planter includes an electric motor. The seed depth device also includes an actuator driven by the electric motor and arranged to move to a home position. The seed depth device further includes a first stop proximate to the actuator when in the home position. The seed depth device yet further includes at least one controller including a computing processor and a computer readable storage medium configured to control the electric motor. The seed depth device also includes a seed depth auto-learn system at least in-part stored and executed by the at least one controller, the seed depth auto-learn system configured to learn the home position based at least in-part on the actuator stalling upon the first stop, wherein the seed depth auto-learn system is configured to move the actuator a prescribed distance away from the first stop to establish the home position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: Steering Solutions IP Holding Corporation
    Inventors: Addney T. Biery, II, Brian G. Maust, Timothy A. Rohn
  • Patent number: 11467578
    Abstract: Provided is a moving object configured to move in an airport. The moving object includes a communication unit configured to acquire identification information of a user and second information acquisition means for acquiring information about a destination, to which baggage of the user is to be transported, from a server apparatus based on the identification information of the user. Furthermore, the moving object includes a control device for moving to the destination in a state where the baggage of the user is held.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masato Endo, Katsuhiko Yourou, Shunji Tateishi, Nobukatsu Fujishita
  • Patent number: 11465642
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a system receives a stream of frames of point clouds from one or more LIDAR sensors of an ADV and corresponding poses in real-time. The system extracts segment information for each frame of the stream based on geometric or spatial attributes of points in the frame, where the segment information includes one or more segments of at least a first frame corresponding to a first pose. The system registers the stream of frames based on the segment information. The system generates a first point cloud map for the stream of frames based on the frame registration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignees: BAIDU USA LLC, Baidu.com Times Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yong Xiao, Runxin He, Pengfei Yuan, Li Yu, Shiyu Song
  • Patent number: 11458976
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes a control unit configured to obtain information relating to a drive state of a vehicle, calculate a requirement torque, compute a first target torque, a second target torque, and an ideal change rate of a total torque of the first drive torque and the second drive torque, and at least control a magnitudes of the first drive torque and the second drive torque outputted from the first drive unit and the second drive unit. The control unit is configured to control the first drive unit to operate a first zero-cross process and control the second drive unit to operate a second zero-cross process after the first zero-cross process ends.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: AISIN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinya Harada, Satoshi Kokubo, Masaya Sugai, Hiroki Tsukada
  • Patent number: 11460845
    Abstract: An automated mobile vehicle (AMV) including a frame forming a pallet bed for a pallet, and having an automated mobile robot bus, separate and distinct from the pallet bed, a drive section coupled to the frame to provide automated vehicle mobility, and a controller operably coupled to the drive section to effect automated vehicle mobility, wherein, the robot bus has a bus interface for docking independent automated mobile robots (AMR) to the frame so that the AMR is carried by the frame, wherein the AMR has independent automated mobility so that undocked from the frame, the AMR is free to roam independent from the AMV, and wherein the AMR is fungible for docking with the frame from a number different AMRs, to effect a predetermined material handling characteristic, and wherein the controller is coupled to the AMR to manage control of the predetermined material handling characteristic with the AMR undocked from the frame and moving as a unit apart from the frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: Teradyne, Inc.
    Inventor: David Levasseur
  • Patent number: 11441910
    Abstract: When a self-driving vehicle that transfers an object to a predetermined location is left at the predetermined location without the object in the vehicle, a vehicle control apparatus determines a moving destination among a plurality of standby places, based on the current location of the vehicle, the locations of the plurality of standby places, and vehicle-demand prediction information, and instructs the vehicle to move to the determined moving destination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICA
    Inventors: Kotaro Sakata, Kimio Minami, Tetsuji Fuchikami
  • Patent number: 11427174
    Abstract: A movable carrier auxiliary system includes a state detecting device, a braking device, an environmental detecting device and an emergency brake controlling device. The state detecting device detects a movement state of a movable carrier. The environmental detecting device includes at least one image capturing module and an operation module. The brake controlling method thereof includes receive the movement state detected by the state detecting device, and deriving an operating distance based on the movement state with the operation module; capture the environmental image with the image capturing module; determine whether there is an obstruction within the operating distance based on the environmental image; automatically actuate the braking device with the emergency brake controlling device when there is the obstruction within the operating distance in the environmental image, thereby to stop the movable carrier within the operating distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: Ability Opto-Electronics Technology
    Inventors: Yeong-Ming Chang, Chien-Hsun Lai, Yao-Wei Liu
  • Patent number: 11427182
    Abstract: A control device for a hybrid vehicle is provided. When a first drive mode is selected as the drive mode of the hybrid vehicle, a control section shifts the drive mode to a second drive mode when a charge amount of a battery for an electric motor becomes smaller than or equal to a determination charge amount. The first drive mode operates the electric motor while an internal combustion engine is stopped. The second drive mode permits the operation of the internal combustion engine. The control section executes a shifting process when the upper limit system output is lower than or equal to a startup determination output even though the charge amount of the battery is greater than the determination charge amount. The shifting process shifts the drive mode to the second drive mode to start the internal combustion engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yohei Moriyama, Shigeki Nakayama, Ikuma Tsuzuki
  • Patent number: 11407357
    Abstract: A communication system for a vehicle comprises a mechanism for sensing a braking of the vehicle and a control device for sending a signal to a headlight activation circuit to modulate the vehicle's headlights based upon the braking of the vehicle. In particular, a headlight of the vehicle is able to be modulated based upon an application of one or both of a front brake and a rear brake. The headlight activation circuit is able to modulate the headlight between an on position and an off position or modulate the headlight between a high beam position and a low beam position. Consequently, the vehicle is better seen as it approaches likely congestion areas such as intersections and slowing or stopped traffic and attempts to enter traffic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: Vision Works IP Corporation
    Inventor: Fritz Braunberger
  • Patent number: 11388241
    Abstract: Disclosed are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media for distributed processing in a vehicle networking system. A node in the vehicle networking system receives sets of processed sensor data from multiple nodes in the vehicle networking system. Each set of processed sensor data is generated using a first portion of a data processing algorithm on sensor data captured by different sets of sensors of the vehicle networking system. The node performs a second portion of the data processing algorithm based on the sets of processed sensor data received from multiple nodes, yielding a set of processed aggregated sensor data. The node may use the set of processed aggregated sensor data to provide a computer managed feature and/or transmit the set of processed aggregated sensor data to other nodes in the vehicle networking system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: Ethernovia Inc.
    Inventors: Roy T. Myers, Jr., Hossein Sedarat, Ramin Shirani, Darren S. Engelkemier
  • Patent number: 11385134
    Abstract: A vehicle service system and method to determine spatial parameters of a vehicle, employing a display system under processor control, to display or project visible indicia onto surfaces in proximity to a vehicle undergoing a safety system service or inspection identifying one or more locations, relative to the determined vehicle centerline or thrust line, at which a calibration fixture, optical target, or simulated test drive imagery is visible for observation by a sensor onboard the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2022
    Assignee: HUNTER ENGINEERING COMPANY
    Inventors: Michael T. Stieff, Timothy A. Strege
  • Patent number: 11377111
    Abstract: Methods, computer-readable media, software, and apparatuses include collecting, via one or more sensors and during a first window of time, sensor data associated with an acceleration of the vehicle, processing the sensor data to obtain frequency domain sensor data, analyzing the frequency domain sensor data to identify one or more occurrences of a vehicle mass change event, classifying a use of the vehicle for a shared mobility service during one or more time periods of the first window of time based on the one or more occurrences of a vehicle mass change, and transmitting, to a remote computing device, a notification relating to use of the vehicle for the shared mobility service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2022
    Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company
    Inventors: Philip Guziec, Clayton Jeschke, Hongxuan Liu
  • Patent number: 11366238
    Abstract: Various vehicle technologies for improving positioning accuracy despite various factors that affect signals from navigation satellites. Such positioning accuracy is increased via determining an offset and communicating the offset in various ways or via sharing of raw positioning data between a plurality of devices, where at least one knows its location sufficiently accurately, for use in differential algorithms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: Tesla, Inc.
    Inventors: Neda Cvijetic, Robert Cofield, Mark McClelland, Zeljko Popovic, Francis Havlak
  • Patent number: 11352019
    Abstract: An electronic control device for a vehicle according to the present invention includes an action prediction unit that predicts the action of an object around the vehicle on the basis of external information acquired from external information detection units that detect external information of the vehicle, and a determination unit for a detection unit that determines whether an abnormality has occurred in the external information detection unit by comparing external information acquired from the external information detection unit at the time corresponding to a prediction result of the action prediction unit to the prediction result of the action prediction unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: Hitachi Astemo, Ltd.
    Inventors: Tatsuya Horiguchi, Hideyuki Sakamoto, Teppei Hirotsu
  • Patent number: 11338932
    Abstract: This disclosure describes an unmanned aerial vehicle that may be configured during flight to optimize for agility or efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Gur Kimchi, Daniel Buchmueller, Brian C. Beckman, Amir Navot
  • Patent number: 11332071
    Abstract: A communication system for a vehicle comprises a mechanism for sensing a motion status of a vehicle, a control device, plurality of data acquisition sensors, and one or more alerting device activation circuits. The communication system is customizable with the plurality of data acquisition sensors and one or more alerting device activation circuits based upon the needs of the vehicle. In some embodiments, the communication system is customized before it is installed within the vehicle. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the communication system is customizable after it is installed within the vehicle by turning on and/or turning off one or more of the data acquisition sensors and one or more alerting device activation circuits. The communication system is able to be implemented on a bus or other such fleet vehicles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: Vision Works IP Corporation
    Inventors: Fritz Braunberger, Beau M. Braunberger
  • Patent number: 11325598
    Abstract: A travel assisting method for a vehicle which is executed by a processor, comprising: generating a vehicle speed command value based on vehicle information of a subject vehicle; calculating the vehicle speed command value at a predetermined time (a look-ahead time) ahead of a current time based on information of a feature existing ahead of the subject vehicle in a travelling direction, as a look-ahead vehicle speed command value; and controlling the subject vehicle based on the look-ahead vehicle speed command value. Further, a lighting state of a traffic light located around the subject vehicle is detected, and the look-ahead time is set based on the lighting state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akinobu Goto, Takashi Fukushige, Satoshi Tange
  • Patent number: 11328594
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus determines a pickup point and a drop-off point for a first user traveling to a destination in a vehicle carrying a plurality of unspecified users. The apparatus includes a controller that obtains information on the place of departure and the destination of the first user; determines a pickup point for the first user based on the place of departure of the first user; defines a predetermined field including the destination of the first user and determines a drop-off point for the first user from a plurality of points except the destination, the points being included in the predetermined field; and transmits the determined pickup point and drop-off point for the first user to a device associated with the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yusuke Kaneko, Junya Masui, Yui Nakamura, Ai Fujimura, Keisuke Tsujimoto, Tomoyuki Kuriyama
  • Patent number: 11326890
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus provided with a communicator that receives request data which is a request relating to a change in a traveling route of a vehicle from a first user among two or more users traveling in the same vehicle and a processor that executes determining incentives to be granted to second users accompanying the change in the traveling route, wherein the second users are a part of or all of the two or more users excluding the first user, presenting incentive information on the determined incentives and inquiries about whether or not to accept the change in the traveling route to the second users and creating granting data for granting the determined incentives to the second users when the second users accept the change in the traveling route.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yusuke Kaneko, Junya Masui, Yui Nakamura, Ai Fujimura, Keisuke Tsujimoto, Tomoyuki Kuriyama
  • Patent number: 11322018
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for determining cause of atypical traffic events and/or encouraging good driving behavior. The systems and methods may involve a camera sensor and/or inertial sensors to detect traffic events, as well analytical methods that may attribute a cause to the traffic event. The systems and methods include a processor that is configured to determine an occurrence of an atypical traffic event at or near a monitored vehicle; and determine a cause of the atypical traffic event based on data collected at the monitored vehicle, wherein the cause of the atypical traffic event is at least one of: a driver or control system of the monitored vehicle; a second driver or second control system of a second vehicle; and a road condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: NETRADYNE, INC.
    Inventors: David Jonathan Julian, Venkata Sreekanta Reddy Annapureddy, Michael Campos, Avneesh Agrawal, Adam David Kahn, Sandeep Pandya