Patents Examined by Brian P. Sweeney
  • Patent number: 12291220
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for vehicular data collection and analysis. The system may include a vehicle and a remote computing system. The vehicle may include a sensor system, a communication system, a controller configured to: receive vehicle data including sensor data that includes an observable condition of the vehicle as sensed with the sensor system, process the vehicle data to produce collected data, store the collected data as stored data in a data storage device of the vehicle, and upload the stored data through a communication network. The remote computing system may include a controller configured to, by a processor: receive the vehicle data, and perform statistical analysis thereof to quantify a change of the observable condition relative to historical data associated with the vehicle and relative to other vehicles within a fleet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2025
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Janean Ellen Potter, Erika L Pruski, Rafat F Hattar
  • Patent number: 12293657
    Abstract: A method for mitigating lane-change disturbance based on cooperative maneuvering includes obtaining traffic data from a target lane, determining whether a traffic in the target lane becomes string unstable in response to an ego vehicle moving to the target lane based on learned car-following models and the traffic data, identifying a connected vehicle in the target lane in response to determining that the traffic in the target lane becomes string unstable in response to an ego vehicle moving to the target lane, and requesting that the identified connected vehicle change lanes from the target lane to another lane to obtain an empty space between a vehicle in front of the identified connected vehicle and a vehicle behind the identified connected vehicle or follow a suggested speed profile to obtain an empty space between the identified connected vehicle and a vehicle in front of the identified connected vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2025
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Yashar Zeiynali Farid, Sergei S. Avedisov, Onur Altintas, Kentaro Oguchi
  • Patent number: 12286125
    Abstract: A vehicle motion controller includes a feedback controlling unit that executes feedback control in which a difference between a target acceleration corresponding to a request value from a driver assistance device and an actual acceleration of a vehicle is an input, thereby calculating a control amount used to reduce the difference, a request outputting unit that calculates a request longitudinal force based on the control amount, the request longitudinal force controlling an actuator, and an obtaining unit that obtains, as information that indicates availability, information indicating whether the at least one of the anti-lock brake control or the anti-skid control is executed, the availability being a controllable range of the longitudinal force. The feedback controlling unit keeps the control amount constant when the at least one of the anti-lock brake control or the anti-skid control is executed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2025
    Assignees: ADVICS CO., LTD., TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masayuki Asano, Kazuki Miyake, Akitsugu Sakai
  • Patent number: 12287638
    Abstract: A dock area control system includes a vehicle proximity detection system (PDSC). The PDSC includes a vehicle low frequency magnetic field generator (MFG) that generates a vehicle pulsed magnetic field that is sensed by a dock area controller electronics module (DEM).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2025
    Assignee: FREDERICK MOBILE INSTRUMENTATION, LLC
    Inventors: Larry D. Frederick, Andrew Nichols
  • Patent number: 12283193
    Abstract: Load volume predication for slung loads of aerial vehicles are disclosed. A system can identify parameters of a load. The system can determine a volume occupied by a superposition of locations of the cone. The system can receive from sensors or models, characteristics of an environment associated with the aerial vehicle or the load. The system can detect an obstacle in the environment. The system can take a navigational action in response to detecting the obstacle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2025
    Assignee: LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Navid Dadkhah Tehrani, Sean S. Carlson, Cauvin Polycarpe
  • Patent number: 12280673
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for controlling a vehicle mounted game, a computer program, a storage medium, and a vehicle are provided in the present disclosure. The method is applied to the VCU. The VCU controls a vehicle to be powered at a low voltage in case that it is determined that the vehicle enters a game activation state; when the vehicle is powered at the low voltage, the VUC collects an operation signal of the vehicle, in which, the operation signal includes: an accelerator pedal position signal, a brake pedal position signal, a steering wheel angle signal, and a gear position signal of the vehicle; and the VUC sends the operation signal to a vehicle HUT to enable the vehicle HUT to control the vehicle mounted game according to the operation signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2025
    Assignee: Great Wall Motor Company Limited
    Inventors: Xiu Liu, Yang Liu
  • Patent number: 12282066
    Abstract: A battery diagnosis system includes a sensor that measures a voltage of a secondary battery, and a processor configured to diagnose whether the secondary battery is a genuine product based on a voltage curve indicating a time change of a voltage measured by the sensor during a diagnosis target period. The diagnosis target period includes both a charging and discharging period and a charging and discharging pause period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2025
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Na Li
  • Patent number: 12270660
    Abstract: An efficient map matching method for GPS trajectory includes: obtaining a valid GPS point list; obtaining a current searched end point; backtracking a best map matching path from the current searched end point, traversing GPS points along the path to obtain best matching results, and summarizing the best matching results to output a matching result statistical table; and determining whether the current searched end point is a final point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: Chang'an University
    Inventors: Yuanqing Wang, Yaxiang Li, Zhouhao Wu, Minghui Xie, Sen Wei, Shuxin Jin, Yabin Sun
  • Patent number: 12269510
    Abstract: Systems and techniques are provided for rare scenario handling in autonomous vehicles. In some aspects, an AV management system can determine a target likelihood value range for identifying relevant rare scenarios. In some cases, the AV management system may use the target likelihood value range to generate new relevant rare scenarios that have a likelihood value that falls within the target likelihood value range. In some examples, the AV management system may initiate simulations of the generated relevant rare scenarios and capture synthetic AV scene data, which can be used to train machine learning models used in AVs. As a result, the performance of the AVs may be improved when faced with rare scenarios.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: GM Cruise Holdings LLC
    Inventor: Burkay Donderici
  • Patent number: 12260755
    Abstract: A method of controlling an autonomous vehicle and an electronic device are provided, which relate to a field of artificial intelligence technology, and in particular to a field of autonomous driving technology. The method includes: acquiring a vehicle state configuration information from a cloud; enabling a task receiving function of the vehicle, in response to the vehicle state configuration information indicating that the vehicle is in an automatic operation state; acquiring a task information from the cloud in response to the task receiving function being enabled; and controlling the vehicle according to the task information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2025
    Assignee: Apollo Intelligent Driving Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Shiqi Zhou, Jingkai Chen, Liang Wang, Yunpeng Wang, Zhenyu Li
  • Patent number: 12252109
    Abstract: Intelligent battery depletion techniques for a range-extended electrified vehicle (REEV) include receiving at least (i) a state of charge (SOC) of a battery system of the REEV and (ii) a distance for a trip of the REEV, controlling an electrified powertrain (engine and electric motor) of the REEV to generate a drive torque to satisfy a driver torque request, based on at least the battery system SOC and the trip distance, determining, an optimized charge depletion or allocation profile for the trip for powering the electric motor/battery system, and controlling the electrified powertrain based on the blended charge depletion or allocation profile until the trip distance has been reached or the battery system SOC reaches a desired minimum level, and then transitioning to a charge sustaining mode where the engine generates the drive torque and maintains the battery system SOC at the desired minimum level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2025
    Assignee: FCA US LLC
    Inventors: Dhruvang Rathod, Andy M Lee, Barry A Mason, Cristian Rostiti
  • Patent number: 12246756
    Abstract: A method for managing a hand-over from an Automated Driving System (ADS) to driver of vehicle, where ADS includes ADS feature being associated with first set of pre-cautionary constraints out of plurality of pre-cautionary constraints imposed by Pre-cautionary Safety (PCS) module while ADS feature controls vehicle. The method includes obtaining request to deactivate ADS feature, and providing partial control of vehicle to driver in order to enable manual driver operation of vehicle based on obtained request. The method includes monitoring manual driver operation of vehicle for a time period, and evaluating monitored manual driver operation of vehicle against second set of pre-cautionary constraints during time period. Then, based on evaluation, the method includes deactivating second set of pre-cautionary constraints upon expiry of time period if manual driver operation passes evaluation, or providing control of vehicle to ADS if manual driver operation fails evaluation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2025
    Assignee: Zenuity AB
    Inventors: Peter Hardå, Mattias Brännström
  • Patent number: 12240602
    Abstract: A logistics system includes an energy remaining amount identifying unit configured to obtain or estimate an energy remaining amount of an unmanned vehicle subsequent to delivery of an item to a delivery address, the unmanned vehicle being driven by energy supplied from an energy source, a range setting unit configured to set a pickup possible range according to the energy remaining amount, the pickup possible range being used to select pickup location candidates where the unmanned vehicle is able to pick up an item and return to a station of the unmanned vehicle on a return path, the return path including the delivery address as a start point and including the station as an end point, and a pickup location determining unit configured to determine a pickup location from the pickup location candidates located in the pickup possible range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2025
    Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Daiki Tanaka, Toshiaki Tazume, Takayoshi Inuma
  • Patent number: 12235645
    Abstract: A method for supporting aerial operation includes obtaining a real-time location of an aircraft, obtaining a location of a supply station, obtaining a location of a next waypoint, and controlling the aircraft based on a status parameter related to a flight status of the aircraft associated with the real-time location of the aircraft. Controlling the aircraft includes controlling, in response to the status parameter satisfying a first preset condition, the aircraft to fly to the next waypoint; and controlling, in response to the status parameter satisfying a second preset condition, the aircraft to fly to the supply station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2025
    Assignee: SZ DJI TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Xumin Wu, Guang Yan, Zhuang Feng, Meng Hu, Zefei Li, Mingxi Wang, Renli Shi
  • Patent number: 12233720
    Abstract: An electrified vehicle may include an electric motor coupled to a battery to propel and brake the vehicle, a pedal generating a pedal position signal including a released position signal, friction brakes configured to provide a stopping force to vehicle wheels, and a controller programmed to control the motor and the brakes in response to the pedal being released to decelerate the vehicle to a stop, and to control the motor and an engine (in hybrid vehicles) to inhibit propulsive torque to the wheels after stopping due to the pedal released position until receiving driver input indicative of a request for moving the vehicle, such as depressing the brake or accelerator pedal, or activating an automated vehicle maneuver, such as a parking maneuver, cruise control, or stop-and-go control. Inhibiting torque may include inhibiting creep torque and/or operating the electric machine to charge the battery when the engine is running.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2025
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: William David Treharne, Angel Fernando Porras, Bader M. Badreddine, Devin James O'Donnell, Josh Hoop
  • Patent number: 12233834
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes: a recognizer configured to recognize a surrounding situation of a host vehicle; an input unit configured to receive an input operation from an occupant of the host vehicle; a controller configured to perform automatic stop control of decelerating and stopping the host vehicle when the input operation is received by the input unit; and a setter configured to perform a setting process of setting a first time after the input operation has been received by the input unit and until the automatic stop control is started by the controller. The setter is configured to change the first time based on a result of recognition of a following vehicle of the host vehicle from the recognizer in the setting process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2025
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yugo Kajiwara, Yuichi Masukake
  • Patent number: 12233916
    Abstract: This document discloses system, method, and computer program product embodiments for operating a vehicle, comprising: using kinematic models to generate forecasted trajectories of an actor (the kinematic models being respectively associated with different actor types that are assigned to an actor detected in an environment of the vehicle); selecting a first kinematic model based on the forecasted trajectories and a kinematic state of the actor; using the first kinematic model to predict a first path for the actor; selecting a second kinematic model responsive to movement of the actor no longer being consistent with typical movement of an object of one of the different actor types that is associated with the first kinematic model; using the second kinematic model to predict a second path for the actor; and controlling operations of the vehicle based on the first and second paths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2025
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Randall Schur, Constantin Savtchenko
  • Patent number: 12227299
    Abstract: A vehicle that includes a communications interface that exchanges, with a propulsion unit that includes a battery, a first propeller, and a local flight controller, one or more decoupling communications associated with decoupling the propulsion unit and the vehicle and outputs a motor control signal. The vehicle further includes a central flight controller that obtains a reduced thrust allocation map with the first propeller removed and generates, using the reduced thrust allocation map, a motor control signal for a second propeller that is not included in the propulsion unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2025
    Assignee: Kitty Hawk Corporation
    Inventors: Madeline Elliott Parker, Graham Bowen-Davies, Robert Donald Vocke, III
  • Patent number: 12228923
    Abstract: This application discloses a remote driving method, apparatus, and system, a device, and a medium, and relates to the field of intelligent driving. The method includes: obtaining working condition information of a vehicle; and determining a dynamic safety region for the vehicle according to the working condition information; the dynamic safety region being a region in which vehicle autonomous driving is used and no remote control driving is required, or the dynamic safety region being a region in which the vehicle autonomous driving is used and a degree of involvement of the remote control driving is lower than a predetermined degree.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2025
    Assignee: Tencent Technology (Shenzhen) Company Limited
    Inventor: Yixue Lei
  • Patent number: 12227216
    Abstract: A mobile and internet connected cleaning cart is disclosed. The mobile and internet connected cleaning cart is a movable (mobile) device with a cleaning platform that provides instant access to multiple different dilutions and non-diluted water rinse, as well as a variety of several applicator tools.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2025
    Inventors: James Donald Decker, Eric James Decker, Darrin Swagel