Patents Examined by Alan D Hutchinson
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Patent number: 10710633Abstract: Various embodiments relate generally to autonomous vehicles and associated mechanical, electrical and electronic hardware, computing software, including autonomy applications, image processing applications, etc., computing systems, and wired and wireless network communications to facilitate autonomous control of vehicles, and, more specifically, to systems, devices, and methods configured to control driverless vehicles to facilitate complex parking maneuvers and autonomous fuel replenishment. In some examples, a method may include computing vehicular drive parameters, accessing map data to identify a boundary, detecting an autonomous vehicle, accessing executable instructions to facilitate vectoring of an autonomous vehicle, and applying vehicular drive parameters to propel the autonomous vehicle to a termination point.Type: GrantFiled: July 14, 2017Date of Patent: July 14, 2020Assignee: NIO USA, Inc.Inventors: Jamie P. Carlson, Yadunandana Yellambalase, Sathya Narayanan Kasturi Rangan
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Patent number: 10704230Abstract: A shovel includes a lower traveling body, an upper rotating body, an attachment including a boom and an arm, a controller, an engine, and a hydraulic pump that is driven by the engine and discharges hydraulic oil to drive the attachment. The controller is configured to obtain a hydraulic load applied to the attachment and calculate an engine speed command at predetermined time intervals based on the obtained hydraulic load.Type: GrantFiled: January 19, 2017Date of Patent: July 7, 2020Assignees: SUMITOMO HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD., SUMITOMO (S.H.I.) CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO., LTD.Inventors: Eisuke Matsuzaki, Daisuke Kitajima
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Patent number: 10703370Abstract: One or more target areas are identified proximate to a moving vehicle. The vehicle can be maneuvered to a target area selected according to a reinforcement learning reward function.Type: GrantFiled: August 24, 2018Date of Patent: July 7, 2020Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLCInventors: Arpan Kusari, Hongtei Eric Tseng
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Patent number: 10703373Abstract: A first vehicle velocity target is determined based on a velocity of a proximate second vehicle and at least one of a curvature of a road, a gradient of the road, a bank angle of the road, visibility, and a coefficient of friction on a surface of the road.Type: GrantFiled: August 24, 2018Date of Patent: July 7, 2020Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Raveen Fernando, Barnabas Joseph Nemec, Michael Adel Awad Alla, Tsung-Han Tsai, Kathryn Hamilton, Ray C. Siciak
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Patent number: 10699106Abstract: A direction discrimination device includes: an extraction unit configured to extract pieces of feature information from an image of a person, each of the pieces of feature information representing a feature of corresponding one of portions of the person; and a discrimination unit configured to discriminate a direction of the person based on the pieces of feature information. The discrimination unit is configured to weight first feature information which is feature information of a portion that is likely to have a difference in the feature between a first direction and a second direction range, more than second feature information which is feature information of a portion that is less likely to have a difference, in determination of the direction of the person. The second direction range not includes the first direction and includes a second direction opposite to the first direction.Type: GrantFiled: August 1, 2017Date of Patent: June 30, 2020Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, National University Corporation Nagoya UniversityInventors: Yasutomo Kawanishi, Fumito Shimmura, Daisuke Deguchi, Ichiro Ide, Hiroshi Murase
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Patent number: 10692310Abstract: An apparatus for determining stress profiles of motor vehicles, in particular of motor vehicles of a vehicle fleet, including at least one driving state determination apparatus disposed in a motor vehicle, the driving state determination apparatus being configured to repeatedly determine at least one driving state parameter of the motor vehicle and transfer it to at least one driving state evaluation apparatus; at least one driving state evaluation apparatus that is configured to assign a numerical stress parameter to each driving state parameter determined by the driving state determination apparatus; and an addition apparatus that is configured to add up the numerical stress parameters of a motor vehicle to yield a numerical total stress parameter.Type: GrantFiled: May 12, 2015Date of Patent: June 23, 2020Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbHInventors: Andreas Westendorf, Fabian Zwissler, Robert Exler
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Patent number: 10677916Abstract: A device comprising a radar for taking at least one radar image of the terrain in front of the aircraft in a zone containing at least one characteristic pattern, the position of the characteristic pattern being known, an image processing unit for detecting, on the radar image taken by the radar, a characteristic symbol representing the characteristic pattern, a computation unit for determining, from at least the position of the characteristic symbol in the image and from characteristics of the radar image acquisition, relative position information illustrating the position of the aircraft in relation to the characteristic pattern, and for determining the position of the aircraft, from the relative position information and from the known position of the characteristic pattern, and a unit for transmitting at least the position of the aircraft to at least one user system, for example a landing aiding system or an SVS display.Type: GrantFiled: July 19, 2017Date of Patent: June 9, 2020Assignee: Airbus Operations SASInventors: Olivier Laplace, Camille Caruhel, Pascal Laurens
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Patent number: 10668829Abstract: Systems and methods are described for a passive flux bridge for charging electric vehicles. These systems and methods include a mobile apparatus including mobility components and a material with high magnetic permeability and electrical resistivity. In aspects, the mobility components, e.g., wheels or continuous track, are configured to enable movement of the apparatus and positioning of the apparatus proximate to a vehicle power-transfer apparatus of an electric vehicle. The magnetically permeable and electrically resistive material, e.g., ferrite, is configured to passively channel magnetic flux between a base power-transfer system and the vehicle power-transfer system to wirelessly charge a battery of the electric vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: May 4, 2018Date of Patent: June 2, 2020Assignee: WiTricity CorporationInventors: William Henry Von Novak, III, Cody Wheeland, Jonathan Beaver, Xi Gong, Chang-Yu Huang, Martin Thienel
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Patent number: 10661902Abstract: An artificial intelligence system for estimating excess non-sapient payload capacity on mixed-payload aeronautic excursions includes at least a server that produces a corpus of aeronautic excursion data, from data that may be received via one or more data feeds. The at least a server is designed and configured to receive at least an aeronautic excursion parameter regarding a future mixed-payload aeronautic excursion. The at least a server is designed and configured to output an excess non-sapient payload storage estimation based on the at least an aeronautic excursion parameter. The system includes a capacity estimation artificial intelligence module operating on the at least a server, the capacity estimation artificial intelligence module designed and configured to generate the excess non-sapient payload storage estimation as a function of the corpus of aeronautic excursion data and the at least an aeronautic excursion parameter.Type: GrantFiled: March 29, 2019Date of Patent: May 26, 2020Inventor: Milind Tavshikar
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Patent number: 10663309Abstract: A method for planning and adapting a recommended travel route to a route destination for a vehicle having various subsystems includes identifying the route destination and receiving vehicle health management (VHM)/state of health (SOH) information for each subsystem. The vehicle with a controller programmed to execute the method is also disclosed. The method includes calculating route characteristics of candidate travel routes to the destination using the VHM information and determining, from among the candidate travel routes, travel routes for which the characteristics meet a respective threshold requirement. Thereafter, the controller executes a control action by displaying a candidate route meeting the threshold requirements. An occupant is prompted to revise the mission requirements when no candidate route exists. A default route to a designated parking location or repair depot may be displayed when none of the candidate routes meet the threshold requirements.Type: GrantFiled: August 18, 2017Date of Patent: May 26, 2020Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLCInventors: Wen-Chiao Lin, Xiaoyu Huang, Shengbing Jiang, Youssef A. Ghoneim, Chaitanya Sankavaram, Azeem Sarwar, Steven W. Holland
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Patent number: 10655976Abstract: A replenishment recommendation system (1) is provided with a recommendation generation trigger point computation unit (32) configured to compute a recommendation generation trigger point given as a remaining amount of energy that triggers an energy replenishment recommendation to the driver to replenish energy based on past remaining amounts stored in a storage unit, and a recommendation generation unit (33) configured to display a replenishment recommendation indication on a display unit when a current energy remaining amount of the vehicle has become equal to or less than the recommendation generation trigger point. The storage unit stores, as the past remaining amount, a remaining amount of energy of the vehicle when a replenishment intent switch (38) is operated by a driver.Type: GrantFiled: August 24, 2018Date of Patent: May 19, 2020Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.Inventors: Keizo Yamanaka, Hiroyuki Tomosugi, Yusuke Maino, Takayuki Iimura, Masahiro Yoshino
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Patent number: 10641614Abstract: Various arrangements for providing a guided tour are described herein. Generally, the guided tour system determines the location of location sensor(s) along a guided tour. When the location sensor(s) are located at a transition location along a guided tour, the guided tour system selects an active Input/Output (I/O) system for a subsequent segment of the guided tour. The active I/O system is used to render prompts associated with POIs along the guided tour.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 2017Date of Patent: May 5, 2020Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.Inventors: Scott L. Frederick, Scott P. Robison, Adam D. Holmstrom
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Patent number: 10645170Abstract: Techniques for autonomously establishing, maintaining, and repairing of a wireless communication network among multiple autonomous mobile nodes (AMN) are provided. The multiple AMNs are flown towards a first node. A tentacle is established with the first node and extended to cover a second node over a distance, thereby establishing a wireless communication network between the first node and the second node via the multiple AMNs. Any damage to the established wireless communication network or tentacle may be autonomously detected and repaired by using spare AMNs. Further, the communication network may be used to enable autonomous detection, tracking of the second node, as well as autonomous detection of a contamination area, based on data received from one or more sensors onboard the AMNs deployed in the air.Type: GrantFiled: December 30, 2017Date of Patent: May 5, 2020Assignee: EpiSys Science, Inc.Inventors: Nadeesha Oliver Ranasinghe, Bong Kyun Ryu, Wei-Min Shen
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Patent number: 10626658Abstract: The control device relates to a vehicle having an automatically closing hatch, including at least one operating switch for outputting a closing command to automatically close the hatch by way of at least one actuator, a monitoring device for recognizing a blocking or jamming event during the closing procedure and a programmable electronic control unit which is connected with both the operating switch and the monitoring device, and which detects the vehicle speed as an input signal. The monitoring device is designed such that a risk of jamming can be recognized by monitoring the current curve and/or the rotational speed curve of the actuator. The control unit is programmed so as to only stop the closing procedure on recognition of a risk of jamming if the vehicle speed is less than a specified threshold value.Type: GrantFiled: August 4, 2017Date of Patent: April 21, 2020Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AktiengesellschaftInventor: Juergen Mayr
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Patent number: 10627245Abstract: A system, including a processor and a memory, the memory including instructions to be executed by the processor to determine a fluid level of a fluid in a vehicle determine a planned vehicle route; and after and in response to uploading the fluid level and the planned vehicle route to a server, actuating a vehicle component to replenish the fluid according to a command from the server.Type: GrantFiled: October 5, 2017Date of Patent: April 21, 2020Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLCInventors: David J. Schmidt, Harry Lobo, Vankatesh Krishnan, Paul Kenneth Dellock, Mahmoud Yousef Ghannam
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Patent number: 10618654Abstract: A device receives a request for a flight path of UAV from a first location to a second location in a region, and determines, based on credentials associated with the UAV, whether the UAV is authenticated for utilizing the device and a network. The device determines, when the UAV is authenticated, capability information for the UAV based on the request and component information associated with the UAV. The device calculates the flight path from the first location to the second location based on the capability information and one or more of weather information, air traffic information, obstacle information, or regulatory information associated with the region. The device generates flight path instructions for the flight path based on one or more of the weather information, the air traffic information, the obstacle information, or the regulatory information associated with the region, and provides the flight path instructions to the UAV.Type: GrantFiled: September 28, 2017Date of Patent: April 14, 2020Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc.Inventors: Ashok N. Srivastava, Douglas M. Pasko, Hani Batla, Igor Kantor, Gurpreet Ubhi
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Patent number: 10617057Abstract: A laterally movable carrier is associated with a row frame. The carrier is connected to a frame member, an opener, a first outlet and a second outlet to allow for dynamically variable adjustment of the lateral separation between a first row of planted seed and a second row of planted seed, where the first row of seed is adjacent to the second row of seed.Type: GrantFiled: August 31, 2017Date of Patent: April 14, 2020Assignee: Deere & CompanyInventors: Richard J. Connell, Brandon M. McDonald, Larry L. Hendrickson
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Patent number: 10611351Abstract: When an engine speed is less than a safeguard speed while a vehicle downhill assist control is being executed, a target speed of the vehicle downhill assist control is increased. In addition, if the target speed is greater than a vehicle speed, braking force applied to the vehicle is decreased.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2016Date of Patent: April 7, 2020Assignees: ADVICS CO., LTD., TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Yusuke Nakagawa, Yasuhito Ishida, Akitsugu Sakai
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Patent number: 10604158Abstract: A driver can intuitively and conveniently perform an operation for instructing a traffic lane change to a vehicle. In a driving support device 10, an image output unit 14a outputs, to a display unit 31, an image containing an own vehicle object representing an own vehicle and a plurality of traffic lanes. An operation signal input unit 14b receives an operation of a user for moving the own vehicle object in the image displayed on the display unit 31 from a first traffic lane to a second traffic lane. A command output unit 14c outputs, to an automatic driving control unit 20 that controls automatic driving, a command for instructing the change of a traveling traffic lane of the own vehicle from the first traffic lane to the second traffic lane when the operation is received.Type: GrantFiled: March 6, 2018Date of Patent: March 31, 2020Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.Inventors: Kazushige Yamada, Osamu Yamaji, Azusa Gojyo, Satoshi Kajita, Toshiaki Mori, Makoto Okada
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Patent number: 10591918Abstract: Fixed segmented lattice planning for a mobile automation apparatus is provided. A mobile automation apparatus is provisioned with a plurality of segments for a plurality of paths through an environment, each of the plurality of segments being fixed in a reference frame, the plurality of segments arranged in a lattice configuration, with adjacent segments defining fixed nodes in the lattice configuration. The apparatus navigates through the environment on a segment-by-segment basis, storing control inputs and error signals for each segment and then later, when again navigating a segment using stored control inputs and error signals to generate current control inputs, along with current error signals, and storing the current control inputs and the current error signals. Indeed, each time the apparatus navigates a segment in the lattice configuration, the control inputs and the error signals are updated to refine navigation through the environment at each navigation through a segment.Type: GrantFiled: May 1, 2017Date of Patent: March 17, 2020Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLCInventors: Kevin C. Jen, Harsoveet Singh, Stephen L. Smith