Patents Examined by Jeffrey C Boomer
  • Patent number: 12013249
    Abstract: A vehicle provides an optimized route by minimizing charging rate and provides optimal charging at charging stations. The vehicle includes a user interface receiving a destination input, a storage storing a map data including location of charging stations and charging fee information of each, a driving guide image, and a guide fuel ratio corresponding to the driving guide image. A display displays a driving route and the image. A controller calculates the driving route and a travelable distance based on the battery SOC, selects a charging station as a stopover when a driving distance along the driving route is greater than the travelable distance, calculates a path through which the vehicle passes through the charging station selected as the stopover, determines target charging amount at the charging station selected as the stopover based on the guide fuel ratio and the path, and displays the target charging amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2024
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Byung Gil Kim
  • Patent number: 12006040
    Abstract: Autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle management service may provide a platform to manage groups of unmanned aerial vehicles to work together on a task simultaneously in an autonomous manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2024
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Joseph Soryal, Lalita V. Rao, Cristina Serban, Naila Jaoude, Tony Hansen
  • Patent number: 11993273
    Abstract: Aspects of the subject technology relate to systems and methods for monitoring component wear to prevent premature component failure. A control system for a system having one or more mechanical or electronic components may include a life manager that monitors accumulated wear of the one or more components. The life manager may provide an alert and/or limit system operations when the accumulated wear exceeds a limit. The limit may be dynamically determined based on an operating age of the component. The limit may also be defined as a matrix of limits, each defined for a range of a particular operating condition of the component. Operating conditions may include an applied torque range for a vehicle wheel or a thermal cycle temperature range for an electronic switching component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2024
    Assignee: Transportation IP Holdings, LLC
    Inventors: Edward Thomas Petrak, Henry Young, Jason Daniel Kuttenkuler
  • Patent number: 11987949
    Abstract: A method for machine operator command attenuation includes the step of detecting a position of a boom, stick, and bucket of a hydraulic implement of a construction machine. Movement of the stick is detected by a controller. The controller determines if the movement of the stick will cause excavation below a desired grade. If the movement will not cause excavation below a desired grade, the controller will take no action. If the movement will cause excavation below a desired grade, the controller will command the boom to raise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2024
    Inventor: Vernon Joseph Brabec
  • Patent number: 11981376
    Abstract: The technology relates to autonomous vehicles having hitched or towed trailers for transporting cargo and other items between locations. Aspects of the technology provide a smart hitch connection between the fifth-wheel of a tractor unit and the kingpin of a trailer. This avoids requiring a person to make physical pneumatic and electrical connections between the fifth-wheel and kingpin using external hoses and cables. Instead, the necessary connections are made internally, autonomously. For instance, the fifth-wheel may provide air pressure via one or more slots arranged on a connection surface, and the trailer is configured to receive the air pressure through one or more openings on a contact surface of the kingpin. An electrical connection section of the fifth-wheel may also provide electrical signals and/or power to an electrical contact interface of the kingpin. Rotational information about relative alignment of the trailer to the tractor unit may also be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2024
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventor: William Grossman
  • Patent number: 11971269
    Abstract: Methods, systems, devices, and tangible non-transitory computer readable media for route planning are provided. The disclosed technology can include accessing travel data that includes information associated with a starting location and a destination. Routes from the starting location to the destination can be determined and each of the routes can be associated regions. Travel costs associated with travelling from the starting location to the destination via each of the routes can be determined. Convenience costs associated with an availability of facilities within the regions associated with each of routes can also be determined. A travel route can be selected from the routes. The travel route can be selected based in part on the travel costs, the convenience costs, and travel criteria. The travel criteria can be associated with travel preferences. Furthermore, route data that can include information associated indications based in part on the travel route can be generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: GOOGLE LLC
    Inventor: Yan Mayster
  • Patent number: 11971274
    Abstract: There is provided a method for producing a high-definition (HD) map. The method includes detecting an object of a road area from the aerial image, extracting a two-dimensional (2D) coordinate value of the detected object, calculating a three-dimensional (3D) coordinate value corresponding to the 2D coordinate value by projecting the extracted 2D coordinate value onto point cloud data that configures the MMS data, and generating an HD map showing a road area of the aerial image in three dimensions based on the calculated 3D coordinate value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: THINKWARE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Suk Pil Ko
  • Patent number: 11967241
    Abstract: A platooning control apparatus is based on active collision avoidance control. The apparatus includes: a collision danger determining unit configured to, when a host vehicle is a leading vehicle platooning with one or more following vehicles, determine a collision danger of the host vehicle with a front vehicle, determine whether it is possible for the host vehicle to collide when fully braked when there is a danger of collision of the host vehicle, and determine whether the one or more following vehicles in a platoon collide; a collision avoidance determining unit configured to determine whether it is possible to avoid collision of the host vehicle; a longitudinal deceleration profile generating unit configured to generate a longitudinal deceleration profile of the host vehicle; and a collision avoidance path generating unit configured to generate a transverse path for avoiding collision of the host vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Dong Hyuk Kim
  • Patent number: 11960303
    Abstract: A method, preferably including: sampling inputs, determining aircraft conditions, and/or acting based on the aircraft conditions. A method, preferably including: sampling inputs, determining input reliability, determining guidance, and/or controlling aircraft operation. A method, preferably including: operating the vehicle, planning for contingencies, detecting undesired flight conditions, and/or reacting to undesired flight conditions. A system, preferably an aircraft such as a rotorcraft, configured to implement the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: Skyryse, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Groden, Mitch Adler, Jonathan Reeves, Nur Harell, Christopher Ward
  • Patent number: 11946760
    Abstract: Activating an engine of a HEV to charge a battery includes obtaining a first GPS trace from a first trip of the HEV along a first route, where the first GPS trace includes first trace metadata; obtaining a second GPS trace from a second trip, where the second GPS trace includes second trace metadata; adding, to a navigation map, an aggregation of the first trace metadata and the second trace metadata for edges of the navigation map; using the navigation map to obtain an activation action of the engine, where the activation action is selected from a set that includes a first activation action of turning the engine on and a second activation action of turning the engine off; and activating the engine according to the activation action, where activating the engine using the first activation action causes the engine to turn on to charge the battery of the HEV.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Nissan North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Kyle Hollins Wray, David Ilstrup, Liam Pedersen, Richard Lui, Christopher Ostafew
  • Patent number: 11938967
    Abstract: The technology relates to maneuvering a vehicle prior to making a turn from a current lane of the vehicle. As an example, a route that includes making the turn from the lane is identified. An area of the lane prior to the turn having a lane width of at least a predetermined size is also identified. Sensor data identifying an object within the lane is received from a perception system of a vehicle. Characteristics of the object, including a location of the object relative to the vehicle, are identified from the sensor data. The vehicle is then maneuvered through the area prior to making the turn using the identified characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventors: Benjamin Charrow, Nathaniel Fairfield
  • Patent number: 11933615
    Abstract: ETA (estimated time of arrival) calculation for a mobile machine is disclosed. The ETA of the mobile machine to a destination is calculated by obtaining a current pose of the mobile machine, obtaining a global path from the current pose of the mobile machine to the destination, obtaining a local path, calculating a dynamic ETA for each pair of the consecutive poses in the local path and summing the calculated dynamic ETAs, calculating a baseline ETA for each pair of consecutive poses from a pose in the global path that is closest to the last pose in the local path to the last pose in the global path and summing the calculated baseline ETAs, and obtaining a total ETA to the destination based on the dynamic ETA and the baseline ETA.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: UBKANG (QINGDAO) TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kang-Hao Peng, Dejun Guo, huan Tan, Yang Shen
  • Patent number: 11928968
    Abstract: A platooning control system is based on active collision avoidance control. The system includes a first platooning control apparatus located in a foremost leading vehicle in a platoon for determining whether it is possible for the leading vehicle to collide when the leading vehicle is fully braked and whether it is possible to avoid collision when it is determined that collision will occur when the leading vehicle is fully braked, calculating a longitudinal deceleration profile and a transverse path of the leading vehicle, and collision with following vehicles that follow the leading vehicle, and transmitting the calculation result to the following vehicles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Dong Hyuk Kim
  • Patent number: 11919512
    Abstract: A method and system for predicting a near future path for a vehicle. For predicting the near future path sensor data and vehicle driving data is collected. Road data is collected indicative of a roadway on the presently occupied road for the vehicle. The sensor data and the vehicle driving data is pre-processed to provide object data comprising a time series of previous positions, headings, and velocities of each of the objects relative the vehicle. The object data, the vehicle driving data, and the road data is processed in a deep neural network to predict the near future path for the vehicle. The invention also relates to a vehicle comprising the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: VOLVO CAR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Anders Movert, Anders Ödblom, Andrew Backhouse, Nasser Mohammadiha, Peter Hardå
  • Patent number: 11915427
    Abstract: An autonomous vehicle is described herein. The autonomous vehicle generates segmentation scenes based upon lidar data generated by a lidar sensor system of the autonomous vehicle. The lidar data includes points indicative of positions of objects in a driving environment of the autonomous vehicle. The segmentation scenes comprise regions that are indicative of the objects in the driving environment. The autonomous vehicle generates scores for each segmentation scene based upon characteristics of each segmentation scenes and selects a segmentation scene based upon the scores. The autonomous vehicle then operates based upon the segmentation scene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Andrea Allais, Micah Christopher Chambers
  • Patent number: 11914394
    Abstract: A materials handling vehicle comprising a path validation tool and a drive unit, steering unit, localization module, and navigation module that cooperate to navigate the vehicle along a warehouse travel path. The tool comprises warehouse layout data, a proposed travel path, vehicle kinematics, and a dynamic vehicle boundary that approximates the vehicle physical periphery. The tool executes path validation logic to determine vehicle pose along the proposed travel path, update the dynamic vehicle boundary to account for changes in vehicle speed and steering angle, determine whether the dynamic vehicle boundary is likely to intersect obstacles represented in the layout data based on the determined vehicle pose at candidate positions along the proposed travel path, determine a degree of potential impingement at the candidate positions by referring to the dynamic vehicle boundary and obstacle data, and modify the proposed travel path to mitigate the degree of potential impingement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: Crown Equipment Corporation
    Inventor: Justin F. Thode
  • Patent number: 11908253
    Abstract: A computing system with a data store including storage priorities each associated with a different predefined event type. The storage priority indicating a likelihood detection of the predefined event type by an autonomous vehicle causes the autonomous vehicle to store sensor system output from a sensor system in the autonomous vehicle. The computing system can receive a data storage request indicating a request for the autonomous vehicle to store sensor system output for a specific predefined event type. The computing system can further update the storage priorities. Updating the storage priorities includes updates a storage priority associated with the specific predefined event type based on a parameter of specific predefined event type. The computing yet further can transmit the updated storage priorities to the autonomous vehicle which causes the autonomous vehicle to change the amount of sensory system output stored by the autonomous vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: GM CRUISE HOLDINGS LLC
    Inventors: Audrey Lawrence, Sam McCabe
  • Patent number: 11878703
    Abstract: A method for determining a pullover spot for a vehicle is described. The method includes using a computing device to detect information related to a system of the vehicle or an environment surrounding the vehicle using a sensor of a vehicle and determine a local failure of the vehicle based on the information. The computing device may then be used to determine that the vehicle should pullover before completing a current trip related to transporting a passenger or good by comparing vehicle requirements for the trip with the local failure and determine a pullover spot by identifying a first area for the vehicle to park in part based on a second area being available for a second vehicle to pick up the passenger or good. The computing device may operate the vehicle to the pullover spot and transmit a request for a second vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventors: Emily Chi, Ryan Joseph Andrade
  • Patent number: 11872993
    Abstract: A moving body control apparatus includes a judging section that judges a driving preparation level of an occupant of a moving body; and a lane change control section that approves a first lane change, which is a lane change in which a lane boundary line is crossed once, if the driving preparation level of the occupant is greater than or equal to a first level, and approves a second lane change, which is a lane change in which lane boundary lines are crossed a plurality of times, if the driving preparation level of the occupant is greater than or equal to a second level that is higher than the first level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kunimichi Hatano, Tadahiko Kanoh, Yuta Takada, Tsubasa Shibauchi, Shogo Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 11867520
    Abstract: Disclosed embodiments include systems, vehicles, and methods for determining a quantity of energy expendable in charging a towed vehicle while it is towed. In an illustrative embodiment, a computing system transportable aboard at least one of a towing vehicle and a towed vehicle includes computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions configured to identify a quantity of charging energy to be supplied to at least one power cell of the towed vehicle by at least one rotating electromagnetic device of the towed vehicle generating and supplying electrical power to charge the at least one power cell of the towed vehicle while the towed vehicle is towed by the towing vehicle. The computer-executable instructions are also configured to determine a quantity of towing energy expendable by the towing vehicle in towing the towed vehicle to provide the quantity of charging energy to the at least one power cell of the towed vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Rivian IP Holdings, LLC
    Inventors: Rahul Madineni, Gary Gloceri