Patents Examined by Harry Oh
  • Patent number: 9753453
    Abstract: A method for defining a robotic machine task. The method comprises a) collecting a sequence of a plurality of images showing at least one demonstrator performing at least one manipulation of at least one object, b) performing an analysis of said sequence of a plurality of images to identify demonstrator body parts manipulating said at least one object and said at least one manipulation of said at least one object, c) determining at least one robotic machine movement to perform said task, and d) generating at least one motion command for instructing said robotic machine to perform said task.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: Deep Learning Robotics Ltd.
    Inventors: Carlos Benaim, Miriam Reiner
  • Patent number: 9751527
    Abstract: A driver warning system automatically detects the existence of in-the-road, passable obstructions and provides timely notification to a driver in proximity of such an in-the-road, passable obstruction prior to it being encountered with sufficient warning time for the driver to avoid the in-the-road, passable obstruction. To detect in-the-road, passable obstructions, the warning unit of a driver whose vehicle hits an in-the-road, passable obstruction will automatically generate a signal that is indicative of the existence of the in-the-road, passable obstruction and its location. This signal may be transmitted to a server, which contains a database of located obstructions. The collected information about the detected in-the-road, passable obstructions are provided to various warning units, so that they, knowing the driver location, e.g.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA Inc.
    Inventor: Lothar Moeller
  • Patent number: 9737986
    Abstract: In an aspect, a robotic system is provided and includes at least two digital servo modules, each of which includes a position-controlled motor and a position sensor for sensing a servo position, a plurality of building block elements that are connectable with the digital servo modules to create position-controlled joints of a robotic figure, at least two wheel modules enabling wheeled movement of the robotic figure and a central controller communicating with and controlling the digital servo modules and the wheel modules. The central controller operatively places a selected group of digital servo modules in a learned motion mode, wherein a corresponding group of position-controlled joints is enabled to be manually manipulated, and wherein each of the selected digital servo module periodically transmits servomotor position to the central controller. The central controller can steer the robotic figure wheel modules based on servo positions of the selected digital servo modules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Assignee: Spin Master Ltd.
    Inventors: Christopher John Hardouin, Romeo Andres Garza, Felipe Jose Garza
  • Patent number: 9738258
    Abstract: A method of managing an electronic control unit of an automobile through an integrated fingerprint recognition system is implemented between a vehicle and at least one driver. The driver is considered as a user profile within the system and can include a primary designation or a secondary designation. The primary designation is allowed to fully control a plurality of vehicular controllers through the system while the secondary designation is allowed to partially control the vehicular controllers. The vehicular controllers include an entry system, an ignition system, a speed control system, a GPS, and a security system as each of the vehicular controllers is activated or implemented by a fingerprint image of the driver that is stored within an onboard computer of the vehicle. The onboard computer also communicably connected with a mobile device of the driver to complete the system between the driver and the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Inventor: Lauren Catherine Masucci
  • Patent number: 9731419
    Abstract: This invention relates to a robot programming method that is carried out at a first location (i.e., teaching station) and a second location (i.e., application station). The second location is different from the first location. At the first location, teach data is prepared to teach motions to a robot to drive an end effector through a series of desired path points along a desired path of motion with respect to the application station. The teach data comprises at least one of robot position data elements and at least one of robot motion pattern data elements. At the second location, teach data is communicated to the robot and the robot is programmed in accordance with the teach data to drive the end effector through the series of desired path points along the desired path of motion with respect to the application station. This invention also relates to a robot programming system. The robot programming method and system are useful, for example, in thermal spray coating applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: PRAXAIR S.T. TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventor: Matthew Halsmer
  • Patent number: 9724167
    Abstract: A system includes a moveable member configured to permit a user to manually move at least a portion of the moveable member to permit an object coupled to the moveable member to be manipulated in space and thereby facilitate the performance of a task using the coupled object. The moveable member is configured to couple to at least a first object and a second object that is interchangeable with the first object and has a substantially different weight than the first object. A brake is configured to limit manual movement of at least the portion of the moveable member to inhibit manipulation in space of the coupled object, both when the moveable member is coupled to the first object and when the moveable member is coupled to the second object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: MAKO Surgical Corp.
    Inventors: Kam Ziaei, Dennis Moses
  • Patent number: 9718474
    Abstract: A vehicle stability control system operates by detecting a wheel speed potentially indicative of the presence of a mini-spare wheel at a wheel location of a vehicle with a wheel speed sensor and determines that a mini-spare tire is present responsive to the wheel speed remaining within a predefined band for predefined time. A threshold value that triggers action by a vehicle stability control system is adjusted to provide the mini-spare wheel with a value different than a wheel speed threshold value indicative of wheel slipping for a standard wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Bo Ye, Michael Gerhard Schneider, Sai-Pavan Eswara, Matthew Conrad Tuhro, Vesa Luomaranta
  • Patent number: 9721471
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatuses are disclosed for determining lane information of a roadway segment from vehicle probe data. Probe data is received from radar sensors of vehicles at a road segment, where the probe data includes an identification of static objects and dynamic objects in proximity to the respective vehicles at the road segment, and geographic locations of the static objects and the dynamic objects. A reference point, such as a road boundary, at the road segment is determined from the identified static objects. Lateral distances between the identified dynamic objects and the reference point are calculated. A number of lanes at the road segment are ascertained from a distribution of the calculated distances of the identified dynamic objects from the reference point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: HERE Global B.V.
    Inventors: Xin Chen, Di Ma, Xiang Ma, Roman Ostrovskiy, Vladimir Zhukov, Xiaotao Zou
  • Patent number: 9701425
    Abstract: An apparatus and method of charging and housing of an unmanned vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is disclosed. The apparatus can accommodate an aircraft, and the apparatus includes a landing platform on which the aircraft lands, a housing portion to monitor state data by housing or charging the aircraft, and a sensor to assist in landing of the aircraft by allowing the aircraft to communicate with the apparatus. The apparatus enhances operational efficiency by reducing a travel time of the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: Korea Aerospace Research Institute
    Inventors: Sang Cherl Lee, Dong Young Rew, Eun Sup Sim, Gi Hyuk Choi, Dong Hyun Cho, Hae Dong Kim, Jeong Hoon Kim, In Kyu Kim, Sang Man Moon, Sang Hyuck Han, Sung Tae Moon, Jin Young Suk, Jin-Won Kim, Tae Soo No, Hyeon Cheol Gong, Min Ki Kim, Jong Chul Kim
  • Patent number: 9704404
    Abstract: Disclosed are a lane detection apparatus and an operating method for the same, and the operating method for the lane detection apparatus includes: detecting a plurality of edges in a driving image of a vehicle expressed by Cartesian coordinates; detecting a pattern of the plurality of edges; estimating a horizontal location of the vehicle in a driving lane based on the detected pattern; setting two regions of interest in the driving image based on the horizontal location; generating two Hough spaces corresponding two regions of interest, respectively, including a plurality of counting regions, and expressed by polar coordinates; calculating a polar coordinate value of each pixel included in the edge shown in each of two regions of interest among the plurality of edges by using Hough transform that transforms the Cartesian coordinates into the polar coordinates; accumulating the count of the counting region to which the polar coordinate value belongs, with respect to two respective Hough spaces; selecting a co
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: HYUNDAI MOBIS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Sang jun Park
  • Patent number: 9703292
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a limited section controller includes a traffic information update unit, a determination unit, a standby position setting unit, and a traveling restart setting unit. The traffic information update unit updates delay information of the traveling vehicle near the junction. The determination unit determines whether to permit the traveling vehicle to pass based on whether there is the traveling vehicle in the limited section. The standby position setting unit sets a standby position of each of the traveling vehicles of a limited number or less present in a standby section. The traveling restart setting unit determines an approach direction into the limited section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Takufumi Yoshida, Keiichiro Urayama, Takashi Tanaka
  • Patent number: 9704308
    Abstract: An instant detection system of a vehicle is provided. The vehicle has wheel assemblies and a brake system, and the wheel assemblies are coupled with the brake system. The instant detection system includes temperature detectors, rotational speed detectors, acoustic detectors, an analysis host and an alarm device. The temperature detectors are disposed on the brake system, and the acoustic detectors and the rotational detectors are disposed adjacent to the wheel assemblies for respectively detecting temperature information and sound information of the wheel assemblies and the brake system, and speed information of the vehicle. The analysis host is coupled with the above-mentioned detectors to receive and analyze the temperature, the sound and the speed information, so as to generate alarm information. The alarm device generates breakdown information according to the alarm information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignees: Chiu Chau Enterprise Co., Ltd, Signal Technology Instrument Inc.
    Inventors: Tien-Hua Li, Chih-Wei Hsu, Chih-Hui Su, Chih-Jung Chen, Yu-Chieh Chuang
  • Patent number: 9696720
    Abstract: An apparatus for controlling autonomous navigation includes: a map data reception unit configured to receive parking lot map data indicating that a plurality of virtual lanes are located in a driving road in a parking lot and a grid point is located in each virtual lane by a certain interval from a parking server; and a controller configured to control driving of an autonomous vehicle based on a weight of each grid point included in the parking lot map data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Min Wook Seo, Jun Soo Kim, Gil Won Seo, Sung Yun Kim, Bong Chul Ko, Joo Woong Yang
  • Patent number: 9694495
    Abstract: A robotic device may: receive movement information associated with a plurality of subtasks performed by a manipulator of a robotic device, where the movement information indicates respective paths followed by the manipulator while performing the respective subtasks and respective forces experienced by the manipulator along the respective paths; determine task information for a task to be performed by the robotic device, where the task comprises a combination of subtasks of the plurality of subtasks, where the task information includes a trajectory to be followed by the manipulator, and forces to be exerted by the manipulator at points along the trajectory; and determine, based on the task information, torques to be applied over time to the manipulator via a joint coupled to the robotic device to perform the task.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: Redwood Robotics Inc.
    Inventors: Aaron Edsinger, Advait Jain, Anthony Jules
  • Patent number: 9694810
    Abstract: A side wind assistant for a vehicle and a method for the operation of the side wind assistant involve detecting a side wind disturbance acting on the vehicle and reacting to the side wind disturbance by carrying out a side wind compensation intervention to at least partially compensate for the influence of the side wind disturbance, at least when an intervention threshold has been exceeded. The side wind assistant thus reacts to the side wind disturbance in a frequency selective manner in which the frequency selectivity is controlled depending on the side wind compensation or a state of the side wind assistant correlating with the side wind compensation intervention. In particular, the frequency selectivity is controlled depending on whether the side wind compensation intervention is carried out or not carried out, and depending on the duration of the side wind compensation intervention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: Daimler AG
    Inventors: Daniel Keppler, Jens Kalkkuhl, Magnus Rau, Van Tuan Tran
  • Patent number: 9683661
    Abstract: A shift-by-wire system, including a controller that includes a motor driver, and a microcomputer connected to the motor driver to control a motor that drives a control object. The control object has a park lock mechanism having a lock state and an unlock state. The lock state and the unlock state are switched according to an operation position of the control object. The controller is configured to estimate a tilt of a vehicle, detect whether the lock mechanism is in the lock state or in the unlock state, and adjust a target rotation speed of the motor according to the estimated tilt when the operation position of the control object is changed for switching the lock state to the unlock state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kazuhiro Yoshida
  • Patent number: 9682474
    Abstract: A control device for a mobile body enabling a smooth transition operation between a first mode and a second mode is provided. A change amount of a center of gravity component at a prescribed time is expressed by using an inertial force-dependent manipulated variable component, which changes in accordance with an instantaneous value (d2Zb/dt2(t1) to d2Zb/dt2(t13)) of desired inertial force at the prescribed time (t1 to t13) in the time series of the desired inertial force (d2Zb/dt2(t)) defined by an up-and-down direction motion parameter, and a displacement-dependent manipulated variable component, which changes in accordance with an instantaneous value (Zb(t1) to Zb(t13)) of desired displacement at the prescribed time (t1 to t13) in the time series of the desired displacement (Zb(t)) defined by the up-and-down direction motion parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takumi Kamioka, Hiroyuki Kaneko, Chiaki Tanaka
  • Patent number: 9679206
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems and methods for providing supplemental identification abilities to an autonomous vehicle system. The sensor unit of the vehicle may be configured to receive data indicating an environment of the vehicle, while the control system may be configured to operate the vehicle. The vehicle may also include a processing unit configured to analyze the data indicating the environment to determine at least one object having a detection confidence below a threshold. Based on the at least one object having a detection confidence below a threshold, the processor may communicate at least a subset of the data indicating the environment for further processing. The vehicle is also configured to receive an indication of an object confirmation of the subset of the data. Based on the object confirmation of the subset of the data, the processor may alter the control of the vehicle by the control system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventors: David Ian Franklin Ferguson, Wan-Yen Lo, Nathaniel Fairfield
  • Patent number: 9662789
    Abstract: This disclosure discloses a robot system including one or more work facilities and a teaching information database. The work facilities comprise a robot and robot controller. The robot controller controls the movement of the robot based on teaching information stored in a storage part. The teaching information database stores a plurality of types of the teaching information associated with work information. Each work facility includes an interface device configured to receive an input of search condition information, to search teaching information highly relevant to the search condition information among the plurality of types of teaching information, and to receive a selection of desired teaching information among one or more sets of the teaching information hit in the search. The robot system further comprises a first transferring part configured to transfer the teaching information from the teaching information database to the storage part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA YASKAWA DENKI
    Inventors: Taro Namba, Tomohiro Ueno, Osamu Yoshida
  • Patent number: 9666070
    Abstract: A drive assisting device includes an assisting device capable of outputting a driving assistance information for assisting driving a vehicle; and an assistance control device configured to control the assisting device and capable of changing a form of the driving assistance information at a period from a first assistance timing to a second assistance timing after the first assistance timing and at a period after the second assistance timing. Then, one of the first assistance timing and the second assistance timing is determined based on a target traveling state amount of the vehicle at a predetermined position, and the other of the first assistance timing and the second assistance timing is determined based on one of the first assistance timing and the second assistance timing, so that the driving assistance operation can be appropriately performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hirotada Otake