Patents Examined by Alexander C. Bost
  • Patent number: 10977934
    Abstract: An information providing system includes a first information acquisition unit configured to acquire positional information indicating a point at which a first vehicle detects a predetermined event on a road and first vehicle information of the first vehicle acquired by the first vehicle at the point, a second information acquisition unit configured to acquire second vehicle information of a second vehicle at the point, a determination unit configured to determine ease of road traffic at the point as levels using the first vehicle information of the first vehicle and the second vehicle information of the second vehicle at the point, and an information providing unit configured to provide the information on the road indicating ease of the road traffic using a determination result of the determination unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazuya Nishimura, Yoshihiro Oe, Hirofumi Kamimaru
  • Patent number: 10967757
    Abstract: A control apparatus for a vehicle plant, which is capable of reducing computational load and a storage capacity in a case where the vehicle plant is controlled using a plurality of periodic function values having a plurality of frequencies different from each other. A control apparatus for a fuel cell device includes a first ECU and a second ECU. The second ECU calculates superposition sine wave value of one of frequencies Z to nZ (Hz) based on a frequency command value by a thinning method using a data group of one set of reference sine wave values, stored in a map. The second ECU executes an AC superposition control using the superposition sine wave value, and calculates impedance of the fuel cell device during execution of the AC superposition control. The first ECU executes fuel cell (FC) humidification control process such that the impedance becomes equal to a target value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ryota Kitamoto, Yukihiro Nozaki, Yasuhiro Maeda
  • Patent number: 10964216
    Abstract: A method for providing information about a probable driving intention of a first vehicle. The method includes ascertaining, using a locating device, first position data, which indicate the approximate position of the first vehicle, and map data for the first position data, and capturing, using cameras and/or sensors in the first vehicle, information about the surroundings in proximity to the first vehicle. The method also includes determining information about a probable trajectory of the first vehicle, and providing information about a probable driving intention of the first vehicle, based on the information about the probable trajectory of the first vehicle, the position data, the information about the surroundings and the map data. The method also includes transmitting the information about the probable driving intention of the first vehicle to a second vehicle and/or one or more vehicle-external entities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Inventors: Teodor Buburuzan, Bernd Rech, Bernd Lehmann, Monique Engel, Sandra Kleinau, Stefan Gläser, Hendrik-Jörn Günther, Johannes Hartog
  • Patent number: 10926876
    Abstract: A traffic control system, a controller and an associated method are provided to direct a vehicle to slow or, in some instances, stop at a defined spatial location along the roadway. In the context of a controller, the controller includes at least one processor and memory including computer program code with the memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the controller to receive information indicative of at least one characteristic of the behavior of the vehicle as the vehicle approaches a defined location. Based on the information, the controller is caused to compare the behavior of the vehicle to a defined criterion and, in response, to cause an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) to maintain a hovering position in which the UAV hovers above the roadway so as to be within the path of travel of the vehicle on the roadway.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: HERE GLOBAL B.V.
    Inventor: Frank Kozak
  • Patent number: 10920690
    Abstract: A method for adjusting boost provided via a turbocharger or supercharger is described. In one example, boost is increased in response to a change in road conditions before a driver reacts to the change in road conditions by applying an accelerator pedal. The boost is increased to reduce compressor lag, thereby increasing the responsiveness of the engine and vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: John Erik Mikael Hellstrom, Mrdjan Jankovic, Mario Santillo
  • Patent number: 10922985
    Abstract: Systems and methods directed to evaluating and enabling enhanced glide slope angles are provided. The method includes, in a control module, identifying a designated glide slope angle (D_GSA) based on a designated approach procedure; receiving and processing sensor data and navigation data; and, generating an adaptive glide slope angle (A_GSA) and an associated final capture altitude (FCA) based thereon. The method includes determining whether (a) an altitude constraint applies at the FCA, and determining whether (b) a level segment exists at the FCA. When (a) and (b) are concurrent, the method enables modification of the designated approach procedure with the A_GSA; and, the method prevents modification of the designated approach procedure with the A_GSA when there is no concurrence of (a) and (b).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Dorothee De Villele, Daniel Corbel, Rajesh Chaubey, Marek Batelka, Pavel Ptacek
  • Patent number: 10900794
    Abstract: A computer device for use in modifying route navigation with waypoints is provided. The computer device includes at least one processor in communication with at least one memory device. The computer device is in communication with at least one display screen and at least one touchpad. The computer device is programmed to (a) activate an edit mode from a route overview mode, (b) display a list of a plurality of destinations on a display screen, (c) detect a first touching and a first tapping on a touchpad in an area that corresponds to a destination of the plurality of destinations on the list to select the destination, (d) detect a second touching and a second tapping on the touchpad in an area that corresponds to a position in the list, and (e) move the destination to the position in the list.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Parhys L. Napier
  • Patent number: 10895468
    Abstract: The disclosure includes a system and method for dynamic vehicle navigation with lane group identification. The system includes one or more processors configured to identify a plurality of roadway lanes on a plurality of roads, determine a plurality of lane groups in the plurality of roadway lanes based on traffic data indicating traffic on the plurality of roadway lanes, and estimate lane-group level traffic of the plurality of lane groups based on the traffic on the plurality of roadway lanes. The processors may further identify a client device location of a client device and a destination location, optimize a route between the client device location and the destination location using the plurality of roads and based on the lane-group level traffic of the plurality of lane groups, and provide route guidance to the client device based on the optimized route.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hao Yang
  • Patent number: 10894548
    Abstract: The present subject matter relates to a vehicle mileage optimization system (300) for optimizing mileage of a vehicle by informing user about correct gear and speed combination. The vehicle mileage optimization system (300) has a speed and fuel measuring module (305) coupled with a processor (301) to collect speed and fuel data of the vehicle. Further, the vehicle mileage optimization system has a mileage and distance estimation module (306) coupled with the processor (301) to estimate fuel efficiency and correct gear and speed combination in the vehicle based on the collected speed and fuel data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: SAINT SITA RAM INNOVATION LAB PRIVATE LIMITED
    Inventors: Lalit Mohan, Rahul Jindal
  • Patent number: 10888051
    Abstract: Data including current locations of candidate clouds to be seeded is obtained; based on same, a vehicle is caused to move proximate at least one of the candidate clouds to be seeded. Weather and cloud system data are obtained from a sensor suite associated with the vehicle, while the vehicle and sensor suite are proximate the at least one of the candidate clouds to be seeded. Vehicle position parameters are obtained from the sensor suite associated with the vehicle. Based on the weather and cloud system data and the vehicle position parameters, it is determined, via a machine learning process, which of the candidate clouds should be seeded, and, within those of the candidate clouds which should be seeded, where to disperse an appropriate seeding material. The vehicle is controlled to carry out the seeding on the candidate clouds to be seeded, in accordance with the determining step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Inventors: Thomas Peter DeFelice, Duncan Axisa
  • Patent number: 10884420
    Abstract: A cleaning robot and a shortest path planning method based on a cleaning robot are disclosed, a plurality of cleaning lines are formed by controlling the cleaning robot to perform cleaning in an area according to a zigzag-shaped path; association information of midpoints of at least a part of the cleaning lines is recorded to form a node skeleton tree in which midpoints are represented by nodes, the association information of each midpoint includes: position information of a node corresponding to the midpoint, position information of a parent node, and information of the number of child nodes of the parent node; in the process of traversing upwardly from a current node or traversing upwardly from both a current node and a target node in the node skeleton tree, the node skeleton tree is compressed, so as to determine the shortest planned path from the current node to the target node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: SHENZHEN SILVER STAR INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Xuyi Deng, Yuxi Liu
  • Patent number: 10885726
    Abstract: In order to prevent the occurrence of a user's erroneous operation as well as preventing an inappropriate road load from being set in a dynamometer, a vehicle test system that tests the performance of a vehicle or a part of the vehicle is adapted to include a dynamometer adapted to provide a load to the vehicle or the part of the vehicle, an actual running data acquisition part adapted to acquire actual running data from an actual running vehicle running on a road, a road load calculation part adapted to, on the basis of the actual running data, calculate a road load used to test the performance of the vehicle or the part of the vehicle, a road load data setting part adapted to set the road load in the dynamometer, and an output part adapted to, before the setting in the dynamometer, viewably output the road load to a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: HORIBA, LTD.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Ogawa, Masayuki Adachi
  • Patent number: 10871567
    Abstract: Systems and methods for positioning objects in underwater environments are provided. The geolocation of a target for an object is determined, and a light source provided as part of a positioning system is operated to project a visible target at that location. The determination of the target location relative to the positioning system can include determining a location of the positioning system using information obtained from a laser system included in the positioning system. The light source used to project the visible target can be the same as a light source included in the laser system. A location of an object relative to the target location can be tracked by the laser system as the object is being moved towards the target location. The described methods and systems utilize one or more non-touch subsea optical systems, including but not limited to laser systems, for underwater infrastructure installation, measurements and monitoring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: 3D AT DEPTH, INC.
    Inventors: Carl W. Embry, Neil Manning, Derek D. Pierce, Mark Hardy
  • Patent number: 10864847
    Abstract: The invention relates to a lighting device for a motor vehicle (10) that has one or preferably two such lighting devices that are set up to produce a headlamp flasher signaling function, the lighting device being associated with a controller, the controller controlling the lighting device upon activation of the headlamp flasher signaling function to produce, from the lighting device, a headlamp flasher light distribution, especially in the form of a high beam light distribution (LHV), especially for a defined period of time, in an area in front of the at least one lighting device or in an area in front of the vehicle (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: ZKW GROUP GMBH
    Inventor: Peter Mayer
  • Patent number: 10845818
    Abstract: A method for a 3D scene reconstruction of autonomous agent operation sequences includes iteratively parsing sequence segmentation parts of agent operation sequence images into dynamic sequence segmentation parts and static sequence segmentation parts. The method also includes fitting 3D points over the static sequence segmentation parts to construct a 3D model of the static sequence segmentation parts over multiple frames of the agent operation sequence images. The method further includes removing the 3D model of the static sequence segmentation parts from the agent operation sequence images. The method also includes processing the dynamic sequence segmentation parts from each of the agent operation sequence images over the multiple frames of the agent operation sequence images to determine trajectories of the dynamic sequence segmentation parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA RESEARCH INSTITUTE, INC.
    Inventor: Wadim Kehl
  • Patent number: 10829098
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed herein that perform automatic downhill snub braking. An example apparatus disclosed herein includes an electronic powertrain controller to cause a deceleration of a vehicle in response to a first request from an electronic cruise controller, the first request responsive to a change in grade of a driving surface and an electronic brake controller to apply snub braking to the vehicle in response to a second request received from the electronic cruise controller, the second request responsive to a speed of the vehicle reaching a maximum speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Donald A. Perlick, Bang Kim Cao, Kurt Howard Nickerson
  • Patent number: 10820474
    Abstract: In one aspect, a system for estimating field conditions may include an agricultural machine having a tire configured to engage soil within a field. The system may also include an image capture device configured to capture one or more images of the tire as the agricultural machine is moved across the field. Furthermore, the system may include a controller communicatively coupled to the image capture device. As such, the controller may be configured to estimate a parameter associated with a soil condition of the soil within the field based on the one or more images captured by the image capture device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: CNH Industrial Canada, Ltd.
    Inventor: Barry M. Pomedli
  • Patent number: 10818187
    Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling an autonomous vehicle to assist another autonomous vehicle are provided. In one example embodiment, a computer-implemented method includes obtaining data representing a vehicle route of a first autonomous vehicle, wherein the first autonomous vehicle travels along the vehicle route from a first location to a second location. The method includes obtaining data representing an occlusion point that affects an operation of the first autonomous vehicle along the vehicle route. The method includes selecting a second autonomous vehicle, based at least in part on (i) the vehicle route and (ii) the occlusion point, to assist the first autonomous vehicle. The method includes deploying the second autonomous vehicle to assist the first autonomous vehicle to travel along the vehicle route.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: UATC, LLC
    Inventor: Eric Michael Perko
  • Patent number: 10803760
    Abstract: Apparatus and associated methods relate to rendering an image of objects in a region of an airport taxiway. The image is rendered from data provided by multiple sources. Three-dimensional models of static airport structures located within the region of an airport taxiway are provided. Rendered image data of the region of the airport taxiway if formed based on the retrieved three-dimensional models of the static airport structures. Data indicative of locations of dynamic objects within the region of the airport taxiway is also provided. Symbols identifying the dynamic objects within the region of the airport taxiway are mapped into the rendered image data at the locations indicated by the provided data. The rendered image data is sent to a display device configured to display the rendered image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: ROSEMOUNT AEROSPACE INC.
    Inventors: William A. Veronesi, David Ginsberg, Julian C. Ryde, Joseph T. Pesik, Michael James Haukom
  • Patent number: 10782698
    Abstract: A data processing and relocation alerts system for processing data and provided relocation alerts is provided. The data processing and relocation alerts system includes at least one processor in communication with at least one database. The at least one processor is programmed to: (i) store profile data for registered users including at least a user identifier, contact data, at least one asset identifier, and an asset location; (ii) receive geographical location data for an impact area; (iii) store the impact area location data in the database; (iv) compare the impact area location data to the registered user profile data to identify the at least one registered asset located within the impact area; (v) retrieve contact information of impacted registered users based on the comparison; (vi) identify at least one safe area for relocation of the at least one registered asset; (vii) transmit a relocation alert using the contact information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: STATE FARM MUTUAL AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE COMPANY
    Inventors: Nathan Wilhelm Baumann, Megan Baumann