Patents Examined by B. M. M Hannan
  • Patent number: 11352768
    Abstract: A construction machine includes a system and method for performing a lockout or stand down of the machine to prohibit movement of the machine or one or more components of the machine, without shutting down the machine. Information about the status of the machine or a component thereof can be collected and relayed to an electronic control module (ECM) to determine whether to lockout the construction machine. If appropriate, the ECM can command lockout to an electrical component of the machine or component to prohibit movement of the machine or component until the lockout is released.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy D. Schwartz, Russell J. Pugh, James B. McKnight, David R. Wisley
  • Patent number: 11340092
    Abstract: Work vehicle display systems and methods for generating map displays including automatic section control (ASC) lookahead symbology are disclosed. In embodiments, the work vehicle display system includes a display device on which a map display is generated, a position tracking data source, and a controller architecture. The controller architecture is operable in an ASC lookahead mode in which the controller architecture: (i) projects a future position of the work implement at a future timepoint based, at least in part, on data received from the position tracking data source; (ii) projects future operative states of the implement sections at the future timepoint when the implement sections are controlled by an ASC system; and (iii) generates ASC lookahead symbology on the map display visually indicating the projected future position of the work implement and the projected future operative states of the implement sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: DEERE & COMPANY
    Inventors: Andrew M. Colosky, Gregory J. Reinhart, Douglas J. Feldmann, Adam E. Bogenrief, Luciana Mueller, Theodore J. Shinners
  • Patent number: 11338439
    Abstract: A robot control method includes, storing, in a memory, shape information about a robot including a tool attached to a tip and about a peripheral object located on a periphery of the robot. A teaching program also is stored in the memory. The teaching program includes a setting speed when operating the robot. By a processor connected to the memory, a distance between the robot and the peripheral object, based on the shape information, is calculated at each operation position when operating the robot according to the teaching program. By the processor, it is determined whether or not the calculated distance is changing in a decreasing direction. In response to determining that the calculated distance is changing in the decreasing direction, by the processor, the robot is operated at a speed lower than the setting speed in the teaching program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takatoshi Iwayama
  • Patent number: 11332157
    Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus includes an automatic driving control device determining a travel route at a time of executing an automatic driving based on surrounding environment information and position information of a vehicle, and outputting a control amount corresponding to the travel route, and a steering control device calculating a steering control amount based on the control target value. There is a performing of steering control of the vehicle based on the steering control amount, wherein the automatic driving control device dynamically determines a control amount threshold value for regulating a limit of the steering control amount based on automatic driving control information indicating a control state in an automatic driving of the vehicle, and provides the steering control device with the control amount threshold value, and the steering control device changes the steering control amount not to exceed the control amount threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Daisuke Kawakami
  • Patent number: 11331801
    Abstract: A system for estimating a pose of a robot includes a particle filter to track the pose of the robot using particles that defining a probability of pose of the robot and a particle tuner to update the particles of the robot based on particles of neighboring robot. Upon receiving data indicative of relative pose between a pose of the robot and a pose of a neighboring robot, and particles of the neighboring robot, the particle tuner pairs an arbitrarily sampled particle of the robot with an arbitrarily sampled particle of the neighboring robot, determines a weight of the paired particles in reverse proportion to an error between a relative pose defined by the paired particles and the relative pose between the robot and the neighboring robot, and updates the particles of the robot in accordance to the weights of corresponding paired particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Milutin Pajovic, Vikrant Shah, Philip Orlik
  • Patent number: 11324371
    Abstract: To successfully deal with a problem to be solved by the present invention, a cleaner for performing automatic driving according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a body; a driving unit for moving the body; a detecting unit for acquiring information relating to an environment around the body while the body runs in a cleaning area; and a control unit which generates map information corresponding to the cleaning area on the basis of the information acquired by the detecting unit, configures a driving cost value for each of multiple grids included in the map information, and configures a driving route of the body on the basis of the configured driving cost value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Hyunwoong Park, Minuk Kim, Gwanryong Baek
  • Patent number: 11325268
    Abstract: Disclosed is an electronic device including a robot arm configured to include at least one coupling portion configured to be coupled to a force sensor to which a specified object is attached, at least one actuator configured to drive the robot arm such that a position of the at least one coupling portion is changed, and a processor electrically connected to the actuator, wherein the processor is configured to: receive a first measurement value of the force sensor due to a weight of the specified object with respect to a first position of the at least one coupling portion, receive a second measurement value of the force sensor due to the weight of the specified object with respect to a second position of the at least one coupling portion, receive a third measurement value of the force sensor due to the weight of the specified object with respect to a third position of the at least one coupling portion, and estimate a relationship between a first coordinate system relative to the at least one coupling portion a
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seungwoo Son, Kyungshik Roh
  • Patent number: 11318941
    Abstract: A system is provided for monitoring spacing during working operation between a first vehicle and at least one further self-propelled vehicle. A beam source is on one vehicle (source vehicle). A sensor arrangement on another vehicle (target vehicle) extends along a sensor axis. In a predetermined reference state, with the vehicles having a predetermined reference spacing apart, the beam source radiates toward the target vehicle electromagnetic radiation such that a predetermined sensor-axial reference detection region on the sensor arrangement is irradiated by the beam source. A change in the vehicle spacing results in a change, along the sensor axis, in the position of the detection region on the irradiated sensor arrangement, and thus in a change in the detection state of the sensor arrangement. Based on the detection state which depends on an actual spacing of the source and target vehicles, a spacing signal is generated with vehicle spacing information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Inventors: Matthias Fritz, Herbert Lange, Marc Pees, Carmen Kania
  • Patent number: 11318620
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a material handling system for manipulating items. The material handling system includes a repositioning system comprising a robotic tool which includes a robotic arm portion and an end effector. The robotic tool is configured to manipulate an item in a first orientation and reorient the item to a second orientation. The material handling system further includes a vision system having one or more sensors positioned within the material handling system. The vision system is configured to generate inputs corresponding to the characteristics of the items. The material handling system may further include a controller executing instructions to cause the material handling system to identify the item in the first orientation, based on the one or more characteristics of the item, initiate, by the repositioning system, picking of the item in the first orientation, and re-orient the item in the second orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignees: Intelligrated Headquarters, LLC, Carnegie Mellon University
    Inventors: Matthew R. Wicks, Michael L. Girtman, Thomas M. Ferner, John Simons, Herman Herman, Gabriel Goldman, Jose Gonzalez-Mora, Katharina Muelling
  • Patent number: 11312324
    Abstract: An accident determination device which determines whether an accident has occurred in a moving object based on an impact having occurred in said moving object, comprising: an impact detecting unit that detects an impact having occurred in said moving object; an accident determining unit that compares impact value of the impact detected by said impact detecting unit with a determination threshold so as to determine whether an accident has occurred in said moving object; and a threshold setting unit that sets said determination threshold according to an area attribute of the area where said moving object is located.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: PIONEER CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takayoshi Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 11308802
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the at least partially automated operation of a motor vehicle. The method includes ascertaining a planned trajectory to be traversed by the motor vehicle. The method further includes transmitting plan data relating to the planned trajectory from the motor vehicle to a central device on the infrastructure side and evaluating a release condition, the meeting of which depends on the plan data, by means of the central device. The method also includes transmitting a release message from the central device to the motor vehicle if the release condition has been met, and transmitting a modification message from the central device to the motor vehicle if the release condition has not been met. The planned trajectory is ascertained again on the motor vehicle side upon receiving a modification message in order to determine another planned trajectory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: AUDI AG
    Inventors: Florian Schuller, Christian Feist
  • Patent number: 11299137
    Abstract: A method for providing low speed lateral steering control for an autonomously driven or semi-autonomously driven vehicle includes obtaining a desired final vehicle position relative to a current vehicle position, and calculating, by one or more data processors, a target vehicle position based on the current vehicle position and the desired final vehicle position. The method further includes calculating, by the one or more data processors, a road wheel angle command value based on the target vehicle position; determining, by the one or more data processors, a control signal based on the calculated road wheel command value; and providing the control signal to a steering controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Nikolai K Moshchuk, David Andres Pérez Chaparro, Kausalya Singuru
  • Patent number: 11298818
    Abstract: A gripping system for gripping an object using a hand mechanism having at least two finger portions includes a specification unit that specifies a contactable portion and an unexposed portion, the contactable portion being a portion of the object that can be contacted by at least a first finger portion constituting one of the finger portions and the unexposed portion being a portion that is not exposed at the time of the determination, a first operation control unit that exposes the unexposed portion of the object, and a second operation control unit that grips the object in a state where the unexposed portion is exposed by bringing the first finger portion or the second finger portion into contact with the unexposed portion and bringing a finger portion other than the finger portion contacting the unexposed portion into contact with a predetermined surface of the object other than the unexposed portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: THK CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shinji Kawabata, Yoshikazu Matsuo, Yuki Nomura, Toshiya Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11292479
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for assisting a driver of a host vehicle in the event of a road departure. Collecting a set of drive parameter values, wherein each drive parameter is indicative of a present driving condition parameter for the vehicle. Calculating a collective road departure value based on the set of drive parameter values. When the road departure value exceeds a road departure threshold value, adapt at least one of the speed of the vehicle or the steering torque applied by the steering control system to the steerable wheels of the vehicle, until the road departure value is below the road departure threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: Volvo Car Corporation
    Inventors: Mats Jonasson, Derong Yang, Rickard Nilsson
  • Patent number: 11284765
    Abstract: A robot according to an embodiment may include: a plurality of wheels, a motor to drive one or more of the wheels; a supporting plate to which the plurality of wheels are coupled; and a charging module coupled to the front end of the supporting plate. The charging module may include a terminal providing an electrical connection with a charging station when the robot docks with the charging station; and a housing providing an internal space, the terminal rotating or moving vertically in the internal space when the robot docks with the charging station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Jaehun Han, Jiwoo Ha, Hyunsup Song
  • Patent number: 11281226
    Abstract: A method for operating a floor cleaning machine having a selectively activatable cleaning element that is configured to engage with a floor cleaning surface when the cleaning element is activated. The method includes determining a transport path and an additional transport path; determining a work area and an additional work area, which are connected to the transport path and the additional transport path; and operating the floor cleaning machine over a route that includes a plurality of transport movements, which occur along the transport path and the additional transport path, and a plurality of cleaning movements that occur over the work area and the additional work area. The cleaning element is deactivated during transport movements and is activated during cleaning movements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Hako GmbH
    Inventors: Alexander Gabrecht, Jan Helge Klüssendorff, Joscha Stelljes
  • Patent number: 11230001
    Abstract: There are a biped robot gait control method and a biped robot, where the method includes: obtaining six-dimensional force information, and determining a motion state of two legs of the biped robot; calculating a ZMP position of each of two legs of the biped robot; determining a ZMP expected value of each of the two legs in real time; obtaining a compensation angle of an ankle joint of each of the two legs of the biped robot by inputting the ZMP position, a change rate of the ZMP position, the ZMP expected value, and a change rate of the ZMP expected value to an ankle joint smoothing controller so as to perform a close-loop ZMP tracking control on each of the two legs; adjusting a current angle of the ankle joint of each of the two legs of the biped robot in real time; and repeating the forgoing steps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: UBTECH ROBOTICS CORP LTD
    Inventors: Youjun Xiong, Ligang Ge, Yizhang Liu, Chunyu Chen, Zheng Xie, Jianxin Pang
  • Patent number: 11230320
    Abstract: A driving assistance device acquires a surrounding area map, determines whether a subject vehicle is travelable in an assistance target scene based on the surrounding area map, generates a guide that guides the subject vehicle in the assistance target scene based on the surrounding area map, adjusts relative positions of an obstacle and the guide in the surrounding area map in accordance a reference position information, perform a steering assistance to assist steering of the subject vehicle in accordance with the guide when determines that the subject vehicle is travelable, and updates the reference position information in accordance with a degree of deviation between the guide and an actual trajectory along which the subject vehicle passes during the steering assistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Naoki Fukaya, Hiroto Uesaka, Toshihira Katsu, Shinji Kawamura, Yoshiki Ohzawa, Akihito Tanahashi, Nozomi Kawase, Waka Sengoku
  • Patent number: 11225234
    Abstract: A vehicle braking force control apparatus of the disclosure executes a slip rate reduction control to reduce a slip rate of any of wheels of a vehicle becoming equal to or greater than a predetermined slip rate threshold by automatically changing braking force applied to one or more of the wheels. The apparatus uses a first slip rate threshold as the predetermined slip rate threshold during a normal acceleration-and-deceleration control and a normal steering control. The apparatus uses a second slip rate threshold during a driving assist control. The second slip rate is set to a value smaller than the first slip rate threshold and near and smaller than the slip rate, at which a friction coefficient between the wheel and a surface of a road on which the vehicle moves is maximum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Ueno, Yoshihisa Yamada
  • Patent number: 11224325
    Abstract: A self-driving cleaner includes a drive unit, a control circuit, a camera, a first sensor for detecting an object, and a second sensor for detecting a stuck state, and a third sensor for detecting a person. The control circuit is configured to (a) identify information about a target object which caused the stuck state, (b) receive information indicating whether the target object is to be cleaned, and (c) control the drive unit and a suction unit, when receiving information indicating that the target object is to be cleaned, to perform a first mode where a space excluding the target object is cleaned first and, thereafter, the target object is climbed if the person is not detected and perform a second mode where the target object is climbed first and, thereafter, the space excluding the target object is cleaned if the person is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuki Takaoka, Tomohito Oohashi, Kazuyoshi Moritani, Yuko Tsusaka