Patents Examined by Charles Pall
  • Patent number: 11953914
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided herein for platooning vehicles or other types of nodes. The platooning may involve receiving a request from a vehicle to initiate a platoon. In response to the request, another vehicle may indicate a desire to form the platoon with the requesting vehicle. Before the platoon is formed, a verification process may be performed to determine the eligibility of the vehicle to join a platoon, which may be based on a rating associated with the vehicle. Once the vehicle is verified, the platoon may be established. Upon establishment, the vehicles may proceed to coordinate actions, and a lead vehicle may be identified for the platoon. Vehicles may request to join and leave the platoon throughout the lifetime of the platoon. The platoon may eventually be dismissed, for example if the lead vehicle leaves the platoon and no one vehicle is willing and/or able to serve as lead vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Mahmoud Yousef Ghannam, Brian Bennie, Pramita Mitra
  • Patent number: 11945582
    Abstract: In a particular embodiment, coordinating an aerial search among unmanned aerial vehicles is disclosed that includes receiving, by a server in a UAV transportation ecosystem, search area data, accessing, by the server, UAV parameters for a type of UAV, determining, by the server in dependence upon the search area data and the UAV parameters, a number of UAVs needed to complete a coordinated aerial search of a search area within a time limit, and partitioning, by the server, the search area into a plurality of partitions, wherein the number of partitions is equal to the number of UAVs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: SKYGRID, LLC
    Inventors: Syed Mohammad Ali, Lowell L Duke, Zehra Akbar, Syed Mohammad Amir Husain, Taylor R. Schmidt
  • Patent number: 11940286
    Abstract: Technologies for computing, within a real-time time interval, of a digital plan for a vehicle in response to receipt by an online system of a volume of short-route pickup-and-delivery requests that increases over an operational period, include: receiving, by a hybrid optimization model, a set of digital inputs; where the set of digital inputs includes (i) pairs of geo-location data associated with pickup-and-delivery requests and (ii) geo-location data associated with the vehicle and (iii) precedence data that indicate an order that geo-locations in a pair of geo-location data are to be visited; using the hybrid optimization model to generate, in an execution time that does not exceed the real-time time interval, a pickup and delivery plan that conforms to the precedence data as digital output in response to the set of digital inputs; where the hybrid optimization model includes a constraint programming-based solver that operates in coordination with at least one other solver; creating, digitally storing, tra
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: GRUBHUB HOLDINGS INC.
    Inventor: Ryan J. O'Neil
  • Patent number: 11875677
    Abstract: A method in a vehicle includes receiving a vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) message transmitted from a communication system affixed to infrastructure at a location. The V2I message includes at least one category of information among a plurality of categories of information and the plurality of categories of information include map-based information and road safety information. The method also includes determining, based on performing at least one type of verification, whether a misbehavior has occurred with respect to the V2I message. The misbehavior indicates incorrect information in the V2I message. A counter is maintained of a number of times the misbehavior has occurred with respect to the V2I message at the location, and the misbehavior is reported based on the counter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Vivek Vijaya Kumar, Mohammad Naserian, Kemal E. Tepe, Hariharan Krishnan
  • Patent number: 11854388
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for level of service assessment at signalized intersections is disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, a method for estimating an average delay per vehicle at a signalized intersection with a traffic signal, including sampling vehicle arrival rates at the signalized intersection, sampling vehicle departure rates at the signalized intersection, analyzing generated shock waves at the traffic signal, wherein the traffic signal shock wave is a change in vehicle density due to changes in the traffic signal, and estimating the average delay per vehicle based on the vehicle arrival rates, the vehicle departure rates, and the traffic shock waves at the signalized intersection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University
    Inventor: Wael Mohamad ElSayed Eldessouki
  • Patent number: 11851854
    Abstract: An hydraulic excavator calculates an estimated excavation volume Va defined by a bucket claw tip position (first position) at an excavation start, a bucket claw tip position (second position) at an excavation end set in advance, a current landform, a first target surface, and a bucket width w. A second target surface is generated at a position superior to the first target surface when the estimated excavation volume Va exceeds a limit volume Vb; and the second target surface is generated at a position at which the excavation volume defined by the first position, the second position, the current landform, the second target surface, and the bucket width is closer to the limit volume Vb. The hydraulic actuators are controlled such that an operating range of a work implement is limited on the second target surface and to an area superior to the second target surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: HITACHI CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takaaki Chiba, Hisami Nakano, Hiroaki Tanaka, Manabu Edamura
  • Patent number: 11796321
    Abstract: A system and method to transport one or more persons or objects. The system includes pods that each have an interior space to house the one or more persons or objects, and vehicles that are each configured to individually connect to one or more of the pods and to transport the pods from a first location to a second location. A server is located remotely from the pods and the vehicles. The server is configured to receive data from the pods and the vehicles through a wireless communication network to monitor a usage and location of the pods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANY
    Inventors: John William Glatfelter, Brian Dale Laughlin
  • Patent number: 11754415
    Abstract: A system includes a computer including a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to identify a location and an orientation of a vehicle on a map. The instructions include instructions to determine a location of an infrastructure sensor on the map based on the location and the orientation of the vehicle, data from a vehicle sensor, and data from the infrastructure sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Juan Enrique Castorena Martinez, Mostafa Parchami, Codrin Cionca, Siddharth Agarwal, Gintaras Vincent Puskorius
  • Patent number: 11749107
    Abstract: An apparatus, a method, and a computer program for determining traffic situations and predicting connected services between road users and the communication quality of services between the road users. The method includes obtaining environmental perception models from road users and from road-side infrastructure entities; generating a combined environmental perception model for a pre-defined area based on environmental perception models, wherein the environmental perception models are fused within the combined environmental perception model; and predicting traffic situations within the pre-defined area over points in time in the future based on the combined environmental perception model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Inventor: Ahmad El Assaad
  • Patent number: 11741830
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for level of service assessment at signalized intersections is disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, a method for estimating an average delay per vehicle at a signalized intersection with a traffic signal, including sampling vehicle arrival rates at the signalized intersection, sampling vehicle departure rates at the signalized intersection, analyzing generated shock waves at the traffic signal, wherein the traffic signal shock wave is a change in vehicle density due to changes in the traffic signal, and estimating the average delay per vehicle based on the vehicle arrival rates, the vehicle departure rates, and the traffic shock waves at the signalized intersection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University
    Inventor: Wael Mohamad ElSayed Eldessouki
  • Patent number: 11724713
    Abstract: A travel path data generation apparatus includes an intersection feature data generator that, by using data of travel paths outside intersections, generates intersection feature data representing features of the intersections and a sample data generator that associates the intersection feature data with motion trajectory data showing actual motion trajectories of vehicles inside intersections and generates sample data serving as samples of association between the feature of the intersection and the actual motion trajectories inside the intersection; and a travel path data generator that searches the sample data for the sample that to corresponds to specific intersection feature data representing a feature of a given intersection; specifies the motion trajectory data associated with the specific intersection feature data; and provides the specified motion trajectory data as data of travel paths inside intersections that corresponds to the given intersection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tomoo Nomura
  • Patent number: 11718286
    Abstract: A method of controlling a parking process of a vehicle includes the following steps: identifying a driver; learning driver parameters during a manual parking process performed by the driver, and associating the driver parameters with the identified driver; determining parking parameters based on the driver parameters; and controlling, based on the parking parameters, an autonomous parking process of the vehicle performed by a parking assistance system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2023
    Assignee: CONTINENTAL TEVES AG & CO. OHG
    Inventors: Frank Edling, Hendrik Deusch, Sharmila Ghosh
  • Patent number: 11715369
    Abstract: A method for traffic prediction of a road network includes receiving past traffic information corresponding to multiple locations on the road network. The method further includes determining, by a processor and based on the past traffic information, temporal characteristics of the past traffic information corresponding to changes of characteristics over time and spatial characteristics of the past traffic information corresponding to interactions between locations on the road network. The method further includes predicting predicted traffic information corresponding to a later time based on the determined temporal and spatial characteristics of the past traffic information. The method further includes receiving detected additional traffic information corresponding to the later time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: University of Southern California
    Inventors: Ugur Demiryurek, Dingxiong Deng, Cyrus Shahabi, Linhong Zhu, Rose Yu, Yan Liu
  • Patent number: 11702071
    Abstract: A vehicle control method of an autonomous vehicle for a right and left turn at a crossroad includes: determining whether a second vehicle intends to change a lane while passing a front or a rear of a first vehicle in order to move to a target lane for the right and left turn at the crossroad; controlling the first vehicle to decelerate when it is determined that the second vehicle intends to change the lane while passing the front of the first vehicle; determining whether the second vehicle is entering the first lane toward the front or the rear of the first vehicle; calculating a steering amount of the second vehicle when it is determined that the second vehicle is entering the first lane toward the front of the first vehicle; and controlling the first vehicle to decelerate according to the steering amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventor: In-Su Kim
  • Patent number: 11694554
    Abstract: A controller of an information processing apparatus disclosed obtains first information about a tendency of move of a user staying in a specific facility. The controller forecasts, on the basis of the first information, an expected destination of move to which the user will move from the specific facility and an expected time slot of move during which the user will start to move from the specific facility to the expected destination of move. The controller calculates the number of users who are expected to move from the specific facility to the expected destination of move in each expected time slot of move on a slot-by-slot basis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA IIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshinao Ishii, Keiichiro Hayakawa, Takayoshi Yoshimura, Takahiro Shiga, Ayano Okoso, Tomoki Nishi, Keisuke Otaki
  • Patent number: 11694545
    Abstract: A system to reduce probability of a crash in an intersection is disclosed which includes one or more way-sensor systems, the one or more sensor systems adapted to provide position and velocity vector of an object approaching the intersection on an associated path, a processing unit including configured to: determine position of the object with respect to a predefined zone of the intersection on the associated path, determine the current and future status of the associated traffic lights on the associated path of the object, predict position of the object with respect to the predefined zone and future status of the associated traffic light, if position prediction is within a predetermined threshold, modify the current status, wherein tgreen is extended, if position prediction is outside of the predetermined threshold, modify the current status, wherein tgreen is reduced, and repeating above steps until the object has cleared the intersection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2023
    Assignee: Purdue Rearch Foundation
    Inventors: Haoxiang Li, Mathew Jijo Kulathintekizhakethil, Tom Platte
  • Patent number: 11688279
    Abstract: A mobility information provision system includes a collector, a mapping unit, a generator, and a controller. The collector collects information about movement of mobile bodies. The mapping unit maps positions of the mobile bodies on the basis of the information collected by the collector. The generator generates course-related information by using information including the positions of the mobile bodies mapped by the mapping unit. The controller controls movement of each of the mobile bodies, by using the generated course-related information, or information obtained on the basis of the course-related information and usable for determination or control of the movement of the corresponding one of the mobile bodies. The generator generates the course-related information for each of the mobile bodies, to prevent hindrance to movement of a first mobile body moving in emergency, out of the mobile bodies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hajime Oyama, Ryosuke Namba, Masato Mizoguchi, Tomoyuki Kitamura
  • Patent number: 11685437
    Abstract: The steering control device includes an automatic steering controller that generates an automatic steering control amount and a manual steering controller that generates a manual steering control amount, and selects either one of an automatic steering mode and a manual steering mode to control an electric motor. When steering torque exceeds a predetermined value during the control in the automatic steering mode, the manual steering controller generates a manual steering control amount change based on the change in the manual operation amount with reference to the time of exceeding, generates the manual steering control amount based on the steering torque, controls the electric motor based on a control amount obtained by adding the manual steering control amount change to the automatic steering control amount at the time of exceeding, and then controls the electric motor in the manual steering mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: HITACHI ASTEMO, LTD.
    Inventors: Takahiro Itou, Kazuya Yamano, Yasuhito Nakakuki
  • Patent number: 11676427
    Abstract: The disclosure describes embodiments for modifying a vehicle component of an ego vehicle based on ranging and misbehavior information determined from digital data included in a Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) message. In some embodiments, a method includes generating Received Signal Strength (RSS) data describing an RSS value for the V2X message which is originated by a remote vehicle. The method includes determining range data corresponding to the RSS value describing a first range from the ego vehicle to the remote vehicle. The method includes determining that the remote vehicle is providing inaccurate sensor data (an example of misbehavior information) by comparing the first range to a second range which is described by the sensor data which is extracted from the V2X message. The method includes modifying an operation of the vehicle component so that the vehicle component does not consider the sensor data that is provided by the remote vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Inventors: Hongsheng Lu, John Kenney, Takayuki Shimizu
  • Patent number: 11661057
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes a recognizer that is configured to recognize a surrounding situation of a host vehicle and a driving controller that is configured to control acceleration or deceleration and steering of the host vehicle on the basis of a recognition result of the recognizer. The driving controller is configured to cause the host vehicle to operate in at least any of a first driving state and a second driving state in which a rate of automation is higher or tasks required of an occupant are fewer than in the first driving state, and is configured to transition a driving state of the host vehicle to the first driving state on the basis of movement of a rearward vehicle that travels rearward of the host vehicle recognized by the recognizer in a direction of a vehicle width in a case where the host vehicle is operating in the second driving state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Chihiro Abe, Katsuya Yashiro, Hironobu Kiryu