Patents Examined by Donald J. Wallace
  • Patent number: 11099564
    Abstract: A vehicle control device (100) includes a recognition unit (130) that recognizes a surrounding situation of a vehicle, and a driving control unit (140, 160) that controls steering and acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle based on the surrounding situation recognized by the recognition unit. In a case where a traffic participant is recognized in a progress direction of the vehicle by the recognition unit, the driving control unit sets an entry inhibition region where an entry of the vehicle is to be avoided, using the traffic participant as a reference, based on a degree of recognition of the vehicle by the traffic participant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masamitsu Tsuchiya, Hideki Matsunaga, Yasuharu Hashimoto, Etsuo Watanabe, Yuki Oshitani
  • Patent number: 11091011
    Abstract: A keyfob has an electronic controller, a plurality of command inputs, a keyfob antenna and a feedback device. The plurality of command inputs, the keyfob antenna and the feedback device are in electronic communication with the controller. The controller is configured to send signals to a vehicle door lock system in response to operation one or more of the plurality of command inputs that instruct the vehicle door lock system to switch at least one door between a locked state and an unlocked state. The controller is further configured to enter a diagnostic mode in response to a predetermined operation of the plurality of command inputs such that in the diagnostic mode the keyfob operates as a diagnostic tool that detects an operating state of at least one of the keyfob and the vehicle door lock system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventor: Simon Asher
  • Patent number: 11084484
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle control method is provided for a hybrid vehicle having an engine and a generator directly connected via a gear train having a plurality of gears that are engaged with each other. In this hybrid vehicle control method, a prescribed torque is continuously applied to the generator upon determining the engine is in a rotating state such that a transmission torque of the gear train does not continuously fluctuate above and below zero torque. Preferably, in one embodiment, the prescribed torque continuously applied to the second motor/generator is a negative torque value during a power generation operation in which the generator is rotated by the engine and is a positive torque value during a motoring operation in which the engine is rotated by the generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinpei Kondo, Yusuke Ienaka, Hirotaka Kaneko, Tomohiro Ito, Yuusuke Satou
  • Patent number: 11074108
    Abstract: The disclosure includes implementations for a connected vehicle receiving cached electronic control unit (“ECU” if singular or “ECUs” if plural) mapping solutions via a network. Some implementations of a method for a vehicle may include identifying a presence of one or more functions associated with a vehicle control system. The method may include generating a query including a mapping problem describing one or more questions about which of one or more ECUs should execute the one or more functions. The method may include providing the query to a network. The method may include receiving a response from the network. The response may include a mapping solution that describes which of the one or more ECUs should execute the one or more functions. The method may include mapping the one or more functions to the one or more ECUs as described by the mapping solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2021
    Inventors: Chung-Wei Lin, BaekGyu Kim, Shinichi Shiraishi
  • Patent number: 11073398
    Abstract: Described herein are techniques for generating and utilizing drivability maps. The techniques including a method comprising receiving a set of vehicle performance records including a first vehicle performance record comprising a vehicle location, a vehicle configuration, and traction control system information. The method further includes determining, from the set of vehicle performance records, a respective Coefficient of Friction (CoF) value for respective road segments including a first CoF value for a first road segment. The method further includes determining, from the set of vehicle performance records and the respective CoF values, a first CoF threshold for a first vehicle configuration. The method further includes generating a drivability map for the first vehicle configuration indicating different levels of drivability for different road segments based on the respective CoF values for respective road segments and the first CoF threshold for the first vehicle configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2021
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kyle D. Robeson, Ramesh Raj, Zhao Cheng, Luyao Li
  • Patent number: 11059477
    Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide a parking assist device for a vehicle such that the vehicle can be parked without decreasing or excessively increasing the speed or causing the vehicle to stop during assisted parking, the speed of the host vehicle is kept constant even immediately after an obstacle or a bump is cleared, and the vehicle is prevented from colliding with any other parked vehicle. The device calculates a speed command value and/or an engine torque command value in consideration of the acceleration/deceleration of the vehicle and controls the speed of the vehicle on the basis of the calculated speed command value and/or the engine torque command value, said acceleration/deceleration being predicted in advance on the basis of the height and distance of an obstacle and/or a bump that is present in a parking path, the gradient of the road surface, and the steering angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuuji Fukushima, Taisetsu Tanimichi, Masayuki Saruwatari
  • Patent number: 11046335
    Abstract: According to various aspects, exemplary embodiments are disclosed of devices, systems, and methods related to tracking location of operator control units for locomotives. In an exemplary embodiment, an operator control unit includes a user interface configured to receive one or more commands from an operator for controlling a locomotive. The operator control unit also includes receiver configured to receive location information of the operator control unit, and a wireless communication device. The wireless communication device is configured to transmit command data corresponding to the one or more commands and location data corresponding to the location information to a machine control unit on the locomotive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: Cattron North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeremy Jovenall, Andre Brousseau
  • Patent number: 11040732
    Abstract: A wireless train control system includes: a device that generates a track circuit state signal indicating whether a track circuit is picked up or dropped and a time-triggered track circuit state signal indicating a drop at a timing delayed by a set time after the track circuit state signal indicates that the track circuit is dropped; and a controller that generates a stop limit point of a wireless-control-compliant train by using presence information if a preceding train is a wireless-control-compliant train, and generates the stop limit point by using the track circuit state signal and the time-triggered track circuit state signal if the preceding train is a non-wireless-control-compliant train. The controller does not update the stop limit point if the track circuit state signal indicates that the track circuit is dropped while the time-triggered track circuit state signal indicates that the track circuit is picked up.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masashi Asuka, Atsushi Takami
  • Patent number: 11040725
    Abstract: One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for notifying drivers to assume manual vehicle control of vehicles. For example, sensor data is acquired from on-board vehicles sensors (e.g., radar, sonar, and/or camera imagery of a crosswalk) of a vehicle that is in an autonomous driving mode. In an example, the sensor data is augmented with driving condition data aggregated from vehicle sensor data of other vehicles (e.g., a cloud service collects and aggregates vehicle sensor data from vehicles within the crosswalk to identify and provide the driving condition data to the vehicle). The sensor data (e.g., augmented sensor data) is evaluated to identify a driving condition of a road segment, such as the crosswalk (e.g., pedestrians protesting within the crosswalk). Responsive to the driving condition exceeding a complexity threshold for autonomous driving decision making functionality, a driver alert to assume manual vehicle control may be provided to a driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: INRIX Inc.
    Inventor: Christopher L. Scofield
  • Patent number: 11021135
    Abstract: A system includes a processor configured to wirelessly communicate with a mobile device application. The processor is further configured to receive a vehicle-command from the mobile device application and send a wireless instruction to a vehicle instructing an action corresponding to and responsive to the received vehicle command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: David Martin Gersabeck, David Anthony Hatton, Ziad Alhihi, Michael Andrew Simons, Thomas Nelson, Ryan Conroy
  • Patent number: 11001243
    Abstract: Method for operating a brake system of a motor vehicle having a hydraulic service brake device with hydraulically actuated wheel brakes on at least one front axle of the motor vehicle, and a parking brake device with wheel brakes, which can be actuated in each case by an electromechanical actuator, on a rear axle of the motor vehicle, wherein a motor vehicle actual longitudinal deceleration is measured, wherein during a braking operation by the hydraulic service brake device a braking operation is carried out by the parking brake device while the motor vehicle is traveling, wherein a motor vehicle setpoint longitudinal deceleration which is to be achieved is determined, and the electromechanical actuators of the parking brake device are actuated in such a way that the motor vehicle actual longitudinal deceleration is adjusted to the motor vehicle setpoint longitudinal deceleration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Inventors: Marco Besier, Georg Roll
  • Patent number: 11005657
    Abstract: A vehicle is provided that determines a first triggering event in predetermined triggering event information has occurred, in response to a first event, automatically forwards a first communication to a selected third party vendor to preorder a product or service of the selected third party vendor in connection with a transaction with the user, determines a second triggering event in the triggering event information has occurred, and in response to the later second event, automatically sends an authorization to complete the transaction by providing financial information to the selected third party vendor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: NIO USA, INC.
    Inventor: Christopher P. Ricci
  • Patent number: 11001992
    Abstract: A shovel includes a lower traveling body, an upper turning body turnably mounted on the lower traveling body, a cab mounted on the upper turning body, an attachment including a working part configured to perform work, and a display device provided in the cab. The display device is configured to display information related to the time of the last adjustment of the information of the working part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: SUMITOMO(S.H.I.) CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Takaaki Morimoto
  • Patent number: 10990105
    Abstract: A vehicle can include an on-board data processing system that receives sensor data captured by various sensors of the vehicle. As a vehicle travels along a route, the on-board data processing system can process the captured sensor data to identify a potential vehicle stop. The on-board data processing system can then identify geographical coordinates of the location at which the potential vehicle stop occurred, use artificial intelligence to classify a situation of the vehicle at the potential stop, and determine whether the stop was caused by an unmarked intersection or a location at which vehicles typically yield to oncoming traffic using the classification and/or map data. If the stop was caused by an unmarked intersection or a yielding maneuver, the on-board data processing system can generate virtual stop or yield line data corresponding to the identified geographic coordinates and transmit this data to a server over a network for processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Beijing Voyager Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Qi Chen
  • Patent number: 10990098
    Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus including a surrounding circumstances detector detecting surrounding circumstances of a self-driving vehicle and a microprocessor generating an action plan including a target path of the self-driving vehicle based on the surrounding circumstances detected and controlling a driving component so that the self-driving vehicle travels by self-driving in accordance with the action plan. The microprocessor is configured to perform calculating a hindrance time a first action plan is hindered when a second action plan is generated, determining whether the hindrance time is shorter than a predetermined time period, and controlling the driving component to keep a first state according to the first action plan when the hindrance time is shorter than the predetermined time period, while to change to a second state according to the second action plan when the hindrance time is longer than or equal to the predetermined time period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takayuki Kishi, Akira Kito, Yoshiaki Konishi, Toshiyuki Mizuno
  • Patent number: 10990097
    Abstract: A method for controlling a computing device including registering a vehicle configured to provide a transportation service based on vehicle information received from a driver terminal; generating a regular route of the vehicle including first and second stops; transmitting information on the regular route to the driver terminal such that the regular route is displayed on a display of the driver terminal; and transmitting an autonomous driving command, in response to receiving an approval message to the regular route from the driver terminal, to the vehicle such that the vehicle performs an autonomous driving along the regular route.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Inyoung Hwang, Sanga Kim, Kyoungha Lee, Taeyoung Jeon, Kangmin Kim
  • Patent number: 10981594
    Abstract: An exemplary method for controlling a vehicle includes providing a vehicle steering system, the vehicle steering system including a moveable steering column assembly and a motor coupled to the steering column assembly, providing a sensor connected to the motor and configured to measure a motor characteristic, providing a controller electronically connected to the sensor and the vehicle steering system, monitoring, by the controller, sensor data received from the sensor if a trigger condition is satisfied, analyzing, by the controller, the sensor data related to the motor characteristic to determine if an overload condition is satisfied, and if the overload condition is satisfied, automatically generating, by the controller, a control signal to control the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Raed N. Abuaita, John T Zuzelski, Bo Yu
  • Patent number: 10976178
    Abstract: Implementations described and claimed herein provide systems and methods for interaction between a user and a machine. In one implementation, machine status information for the machine is received at a dedicated machine component. The machine status information is published onto a distributed node system network of the machine. The machine status information is ingested at a primary interface controller, and an interactive user interface is generated using the primary interface controller. The interactive user interface is generated based on the machine status information. In some implementations, input is received from the user at the primary interface controller through the interactive user interface, and a corresponding action is delegated to one or more subsystems of the machine using the distributed node system network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Inventors: Patrick S. Piemonte, Jason D. Gosnell, Kjell F. Bronder, Daniel De Rocha Rosario, Shaun D. Budhram, Scott Herz
  • Patent number: 10973713
    Abstract: A method for controlling a powered wheelchair is disclosed. The method may comprise receiving first information from at least one user sensor coupled to a user of the wheelchair, said first information indicating the movement of the user; receiving second information from a reference sensor coupled to the wheelchair, said second information indicating the movement of the wheelchair; using the first information and the second information to prepare at least one instruction to move the wheelchair; and using the at least one instruction to move the wheelchair.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
    Inventors: Ferdinando A. Mussa-Ivaldi, Farnaz Abdollahi, Ali Farshchiansadegh, Maura Casadio, Mei-Hua Lee, Jessica Pedersen, Camilla Pierella, Assaf Pressman, Rajiv Ranganathan, Ismael Seanez, Elias Thorp
  • Patent number: 10967754
    Abstract: A system for a vehicle includes a controller and contactor arranged to close responsive to current magnitude through a coil thereof exceeding a first threshold. The controller, following a request to open the contactor, applies current to the coil at a magnitude less than the first threshold for a duration, and responsive to peak current through the contactor during the duration being less than a second threshold, prevents start of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Benjamin A. Tabatowski-Bush, Wesley Edward Burkman, Baojin Wang, John Paul Gibeau