Patents Examined by Jean W Charleston
  • Patent number: 11535263
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an apparatus for predicting movement of a user of a vehicle. The apparatus may include an acceleration sensor that senses an acceleration of the vehicle, a braking controller that automatically controls a deceleration of the vehicle, a steering controller that automatically controls a direction of the vehicle, and a control circuit electrically connected to the acceleration sensor, the braking controller, and the steering controller, where the control circuit may monitor an operation of the braking controller, and predict a movement of the user of the vehicle based on a longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle sensed by the acceleration sensor and a first predetermined parameter when braking by the braking controller is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA MOTORS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jae Myeong Jang, Se Kyung Choi, Min Seok Kim
  • Patent number: 11524532
    Abstract: A tire pressure system for a vehicle includes an inflation/deflation system that includes a compressor and a valve in fluid communication with four tires. Each of the four tires have a tire pressure. At least one sensor is configured to receive at least one of vehicle location data, vehicle environmental data and other sensor information. A controller is in communication with the inflation/deflation system and the at least one sensor. The controller is configured to select at least one of the four tires to adjust the tire pressure of the selected at least one of the four tires. The controller is configured to control at least one of the valve and compressor to achieve at least one of desired fuel economy and desired road control of the selected at least one of the four tires.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Lawrence G. Stopczynski
  • Patent number: 11518369
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes an operation unit operated by a driver; and a controller that causes a vehicle to turn according to a movement of the operation unit and causes a height of the vehicle to be changed. The controller causes the height of the vehicle to be changed according to an upward or downward movement of the operation unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kenji Sato, Kei Yamamoto, Takashi Nishimoto
  • Patent number: 11511748
    Abstract: A velocity trajectory generation method and apparatus, and a storage medium are provided. The method includes: setting starting point time, intermediate point time and terminal point time of a velocity trajectory to be generated, wherein the velocity trajectory includes a first velocity sub-trajectory and a second velocity sub-trajectory; generating multiple first velocity sub-trajectories corresponding to a starting point velocity between the starting point time and the intermediate point time, according to the starting point velocity and multiple intermediate point velocities; and generating, for each of the first velocity sub-trajectories, multiple second velocity sub-trajectories between the intermediate point time and the terminal point time according to multiple terminal point velocities. A velocity trajectory which is more in line with a human driving characteristic may be generated, the comfort level of a passenger may be improved, and an algorithm may be simplified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: APOLLO INTELLIGENT DRIVING TECHNOLOGY (BEIJING) CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Changchun Liu, Yaqin Chen, Peng Geng
  • Patent number: 11505178
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes a communicator configured to communicate with a parking lot management device having a function of guiding a vehicle, a driving controller configured to perform driving control including at least one of speed control and steering control of the vehicle, and an abnormality determiner configured to determine the presence or absence of an abnormality in the parking lot management device. The driving controller is configured to perform the driving control based on guidance of the parking lot management device on the basis of information received by the communicator from the parking lot management device and to restrict the driving control based on the guidance of the parking lot management device in a case where the abnormality determiner determines that the abnormality has occurred in the parking lot management device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Yamanaka, Yoshitaka Mimura, Chie Sugihara, Yuki Motegi, Tsubasa Shibauchi
  • Patent number: 11465681
    Abstract: A position identification assembly for a steering column is provided. The assembly may include a mount bracket, a steering column, a sensor, and a controller. The mount bracket may define an opening to the cavity. The steering column may be mounted to the mount bracket for translation at least partially in to and out of the cavity and the steering column may define one or more physical features therealong. The sensor may be secured to the mount bracket to detect the physical features. Each of the one or more physical features may be arranged upon the steering column such that the sensor detects the one or more physical features when the steering column translates between positions and may send a signal to the controller reflecting the same. The controller is programmed to identify a steering column position based on the received signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: Steering Solutions IP Holding Corporation
    Inventors: Blake J. Riley, Robert C. Derocher, Keith A. Kidder, Paul M. Fisher
  • Patent number: 11465639
    Abstract: This vehicle control system comprises: a driving control section 1 that performs switching between autonomous driving and manual driving of a vehicle V; a seat 10 that can be changed to forms which are different during autonomous driving and during manual driving; and a seat control unit 2 that controls the operation of the seat 10 when changing the forms. If the seat 10 is in the form adopted during autonomous driving, the driving control unit 1 can perform control so that the switching from autonomous driving to manual driving of the vehicle V is not performed. Thus, it is possible to improve safety when switching from autonomous driving to manual driving.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: TS TECH CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hidetoshi Ozawa, Takayoshi Ito
  • Patent number: 11455847
    Abstract: The present application generally relates to a method and apparatus for obtaining incident related data in a motor vehicle. In particular, the system is operative to determine a vehicle to vehicle contract event or near contact event, transmit a request for data, such as video, numeric, and telemetry data, from proximate actors via V2X communications channel, or to request the data be transmitted to a network storage location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Raymond J. Kiefer, Samuel T. Haberl, Eric L. Raphael
  • Patent number: 11447132
    Abstract: A system for assisting in aligning a vehicle for hitching with a trailer includes a controller that receives scene data from a detection system and identifies the trailer within the area to the rear of the vehicle, derives a backing path to align a hitch ball mounted on the vehicle to a coupler of the trailer, and derives a steering control signal, a powertrain control signal, and a brake control signal to respectively control a vehicle steering system, a vehicle powertrain control system, and a vehicle brake system to maneuver the vehicle, including reversing along the backing path. The controller processes at least one of the steering control signal, powertrain control signal, and brake signal according to one of a distance to the coupler, derived from the scene data, or a vehicle speed, obtained from the vehicle speed sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Kyle Simmons, Luke Niewiadomski, Li Xu
  • Patent number: 11440557
    Abstract: An electronic control device includes: an acquisition unit that acquires state information indicating at least one of a state of a movable body and a state of an external environment in which the movable body is moving, and a control instruction indicating at least one of a steering control instruction for steering the movable body and an acceleration control instruction for adjusting acceleration of the movable body; and a determining unit that determines whether the control instruction is a false control instruction based on the at least one state indicated by the state information acquired and control indicated by the control instruction acquired.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Toshihisa Nakano, Tohru Wakabayashi, Yusuke Nemoto, Takayuki Fujii, Takashi Muroyama, Kaoru Yokota
  • Patent number: 11436504
    Abstract: Indications of static objects (e.g., lane segments, signs etc.) and dynamic objects (e.g., moving vehicles, pedestrians and the like) in the operation environment of a vehicle are obtained. A graph comprising a plurality of nodes and edges is generated. Individual ones of the nodes represent respective static and dynamic objects, and an edge between a first pair of nodes represents a relationship between the objects represented by the pair. The graph includes an indication of an uncertainty metric associated with the relationship. To generate the graph, a geometric analysis is performed, as a result of which an edge between a different pair of nodes is excluded from the graph. Using the graph, one or more operations of a task pertaining to vehicle movements is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Dimitar Hristov Lukarski, Luke Burke Johnson, Arun Rao, Siddharth Swaminathan
  • Patent number: 11429116
    Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein enable routine autonomous execution of at least some major phases of aerostat operation in response to commands from human or automated external operators, a built-in decision-making capacity, or both. Various embodiments combine one or more actively controlled tethers, aerodynamic aerostat control surfaces, mechanical assistive devices (e.g., jointed arms attached to a ground station), and/or active propulsors attached to the aerostat to govern aerostat behavior during launch, flight, and landing phases of operation. Some embodiments enable automatic autonomous performance of all phases of routine post-commissioning aerostat operation, including launch, flight, and landing, without any routine need for availability of a human crew.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2022
    Assignee: Altaeros Energies, Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin William Glass, Benjamin Ryan Bollinger, Igor Braverman, Peter Carleton Mitton, Jr., Ephraim R. Lanford
  • Patent number: 11422574
    Abstract: The disclosure generally relates to systems and method within computer systems for an aircraft particularly focused on lateral path generation opportunities for fuel savings beyond that of renditions calculated by a flight management system. The approach focuses on turn generation that reduces fuel consumption and environmental impacts of excess CO2 emissions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2022
    Assignee: GE Aviation Systems LLC
    Inventors: Christi Lynn Bohmbach, Scott Robert Edwards
  • Patent number: 11414085
    Abstract: In a vehicle control device of an embodiment, a recognizer that recognizes the presence or absence and type of article carried by a user who uses a vehicle and an instrument controller that controls a vehicle-mounted instrument are included, and the instrument controller determines a mode of control of the vehicle-mounted instrument on the basis of a recognition result of the recognizer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Yamanaka, Yasushi Shoda, Junpei Noguchi, Yuki Hara, Katsuyasu Yamane, Yoshitaka Mimura, Ryoma Taguchi, Yuta Takada, Chie Sugihara, Yuki Motegi, Tsubasa Shibauchi
  • Patent number: 11407407
    Abstract: According to an embodiment, there is provided a vehicle control device including a recognizer configured to recognize a surrounding environment of a vehicle, a driving controller configured to perform driving control based on speed control and steering control of the vehicle on the basis of a recognition result, and an acquirer configured to acquire the remaining amount of energy of the vehicle, wherein the driving controller causes the vehicle to move from a first parking area to a second parking area where parking is possible according to traveling based on the driving control and traveling based on manual driving in a state in which the vehicle is parked or has been parked in the first parking area where the vehicle is parked according to the traveling based on the driving control and when the remaining amount of energy acquired is less than or equal to a threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuki Hara, Yasushi Shoda, Junpei Noguchi, Ryoma Taguchi, Yuta Takada
  • Patent number: 11400887
    Abstract: A front trunk (frunk) delivery system is disclosure for a vehicle. For one embodiment, the delivery system includes a vehicle trunk at a front portion of the vehicle. The system includes a vehicle trunk lid covering the vehicle trunk. The system includes a bar code at the vehicle. The bar code is to be captured by a mobile device of a first user to remotely operate the vehicle trunk lid for the vehicle trunk to deliver or retrieve (for returns) a delivery parcel/package. The first user can be a third party delivery operator such as a USPS or an Amazon delivery operator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Byton North America Corporation
    Inventor: Wolfram Luchner
  • Patent number: 11400811
    Abstract: Techniques are described for remotely controlling functions of a vehicle without an integrated touchscreen. According to an embodiment, an auxiliary device is provided comprising a display and a processor that executes computer executable components stored in at least one memory. The computer executable component can comprise a feature acquisition component that determines electronic features of the vehicle that are respectively controlled by electromechanical controls of the vehicle, and a display component that displays a graphical user interface via the display wherein the graphical user interface comprises one or more graphical controls for controlling one or more features of the electronic features of the vehicle. The computer executable components further comprising a remote-control component that remotely controls the one or more features via interaction with the one or more graphical controls as rendered via the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: VOLVO CAR CORPORATION
    Inventor: Mats Strandberg
  • Patent number: 11390271
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes a detector configured to detect a vicinity situation of a vehicle, a first controller configured to cause the vehicle to move to a position at which a user of the vehicle gets on or gets off the vehicle by controlling a speed and steering of the vehicle on the basis of the vicinity situation detected by the detector, and a second controller configured to reduce a detection load of the detector when the vehicle moves to the position as compared to when the vehicle does not move to the position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasushi Shoda, Junpei Noguchi, Yuki Hara, Ryoma Taguchi, Yuta Takada
  • Patent number: 11390269
    Abstract: A vehicle control system (30) for controlling a behavior control device (20) that controls a behavior of a vehicle (1), comprising: a feed-forward computing unit (71) that computes a feed forward control amount of the behavior control device according to a steering angle of the vehicle; a feedback computing unit (72) that computes a feedback control amount of the behavior control device according to a difference between a target vehicle state amount computed from the steering angle and an actual vehicle state amount; a correcting unit (73) that computes a corrected feed-forward control amount by correcting the feed forward control amount according to the feedback control amount; and a target control amount computing unit (74) that computes a target control amount of the behavior control device according to the feedback control amount and the corrected feed forward control amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ryoma Kanda, Yuya Goto
  • Patent number: 11372402
    Abstract: An autonomous grain cart includes a width less than or equal to a distance from an end of the header of an agricultural vehicle to a lateral side of the agricultural vehicle, wherein the end and the lateral side are on a same longitudinal side of a lateral centerline of the agricultural vehicle, wherein the autonomous grain cart is configured to receive grain from the agricultural vehicle. The autonomous grain cart also includes a controller, comprising a processor and a memory. The autonomous grain cart further includes a drive system communicatively coupled to the controller, wherein the controller is configured to instruct the drive system to propel the autonomous grain cart. The autonomous grain cart also includes a steering system communicatively coupled to the controller, wherein the controller is configured to instruct the steering system to steer the autonomous grain cart.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC
    Inventors: Pinakin S. Desai, Peter Joseph Zerillo, Stephen Michael Faivre, Nathan Taylor, Kevin David Monk, David W. Larson