Patents Examined by Jeffrey C Boomer
  • Patent number: 11027733
    Abstract: A vehicle speed control system includes a vehicle accelerator mechanism manually moveable between a plurality of positions, a detection arrangement configured to detect the position of the vehicle accelerator mechanism and to generate an output signal indicative of the position of the vehicle accelerator mechanism, and a vehicle speed controller configured to establish a speed of the vehicle as a function of the detected position of the manually controllable vehicle accelerator mechanism, and to use the output signal as an input speed control signal. A method of controlling speed of a vehicle by a vehicle speed control system is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: VOLVO TRUCK CORPORATION
    Inventors: Lena Larsson, Jan Öberg, Filip Alm
  • Patent number: 11030906
    Abstract: A system for taking into account micro wind conditions in a region. The system comprises a plurality of aerial vehicles within the region and a wind speed calculator. Each of the plurality of aerial vehicles has an altitude sensor and a GPS receiver. The wind speed calculator is configured to determine wind vectors within the region using measurements from the plurality of aerial vehicles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Matthew B. Hendrian, Ralf Rene Shu-Zhong Cabos, Nils Kneuper
  • Patent number: 11009875
    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 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Inventors: Benjamin Charrow, Nathaniel Fairfield
  • Patent number: 11001251
    Abstract: During a hybrid drive, a hybrid vehicle sets an engine required power based on a driving required power and controls an engine to output the engine required power, while controlling a motor to drive the hybrid vehicle with the driving required power. When a catalyst temperature of an exhaust emission control device is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature that requires warming up, in the state that an output upper limit power which a power storage device is allowed to output is equal to or larger than a predetermined power, the hybrid vehicle sets a power calculated by subtracting the output upper limit power from the driving required power, to the engine required power. In the state that the output upper limit power is smaller than the predetermined power, the hybrid vehicle sets the driving required power to the engine required power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideki Kamatani, Kazuma Aoki, Koji Hokoi
  • Patent number: 10994775
    Abstract: According to at least one exemplary embodiment, a system and method for synchronizing and controlling at least one dolly may be provided. The system may include at least one dolly, a power unit, and a control device, all communicatively coupled via at least one network. Dolly coordinates and steer points for a load may be recorded. Adjustments to the dolly may be made based on desired changes to the orientation of the steer points.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Inventors: Mark Allen Buckingham, Jamin Ray Buckingham
  • Patent number: 10981598
    Abstract: A control apparatus calculates an axial force deviation, which is a difference between an ideal axial force and an estimated axial force. The ideal axial force is based on a target pinion angle of a pinion shaft configured to rotate in association with a turning operation of steered wheels. The estimated axial force is based on a state variable (such as a current value of a steering operation motor) that reflects vehicle behavior or a road condition. The control apparatus changes a command value for a reaction motor in response to the axial force deviation. For example, the control apparatus includes a basic control circuit configured to calculate a basic control amount, which is a fundamental component of the command value. The basic control circuit changes the basic control amount in response to the axial force deviation. The command value based on the basic control amount reflects the road condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: JTEKT CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takashi Kodera
  • Patent number: 10977949
    Abstract: A device receives a request for a flight path, for a UAV, from a first location to a second location, and calculates the flight path based on the request for the flight path. The device determines network requirements for the flight path based on the request, and determines scores for multiple networks with coverage areas covering a portion of the flight path. The device selects a particular network, from the multiple networks, based on the network requirements for the flight path and based on the scores for the multiple networks. The device causes a connection with the UAV and the particular network to be established, and generates flight path instructions for the flight path. The device provides, via the connection with the particular network, the flight path instructions to the UAV to permit the UAV to travel from the first location to the second location via the flight path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc.
    Inventors: Gurpreet Ubhi, Ashok N. Srivastava, Douglas M. Pasko, Hani Batla, Igor Kantor
  • Patent number: 10968598
    Abstract: A controller is configured to acquire current terrain information indicating the current terrain in the travel direction of a work vehicle. The controller is configured to generate an inclined virtual surface extending from the current position of the work vehicle. The controller is configured to decide the soil volume of the current terrain located above the virtual surface. The controller is configured to set the virtual surface in which the soil volume of the current terrain becomes a predetermined target soil volume to be a virtual design surface. The controller is configured to generate a command signal to a work implement of the work vehicle to move the work implement along the virtual design surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: KOMATSU LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Hashimoto, Kenjiro Shimada
  • Patent number: 10921374
    Abstract: A diagnosis device diagnoses current cutoff devices connected in parallel and disposed on an energization path to an energy storage device mounted on a vehicle. The diagnosis device performs switch processing of switching one of the current cutoff devices to be diagnosed from an opened state to a closed state or from the closed state to the opened state and closing the other current cutoff device while an engine of the vehicle is stopped. The diagnosis device detects end-to-end voltage of the current cutoff device when current larger than a threshold flows through the current cutoff device after the switch processing, and diagnoses the current cutoff device based on the detected end-to-end voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: GS Yuasa International Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoya Wada, Takeyuki Shiraishi
  • Patent number: 10921826
    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: July 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Skyryse, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Groden, Mitch Adler, Jonathan Reeves, Nur Harell, Christopher Ward
  • Patent number: 10889189
    Abstract: A braking force control apparatus for a vehicle has a friction braking device, a regenerative braking device, and a control unit for controlling the friction braking device and the regenerative braking device. The control unit is configured to calculate a target pitch gain of the vehicle so that a pitch gain of the vehicle gradually changes in accordance with a difference between a target braking force of the vehicle and a regenerative braking force when the target braking force of the vehicle exceeds a maximum regenerative braking force and changes within a range larger than the maximum regenerative braking force, and to control a front-rear wheel distribution ratio of a friction braking force so that the pitch gain of the vehicle becomes the target pitch gain and the friction braking force becomes the difference between the target braking force of the vehicle and the maximum regenerative braking force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Kazuaki Yoshida
  • Patent number: 10889351
    Abstract: A bicycle controller is provided that performs control in accordance with a riding condition of a bicycle. The bicycle controller includes an electronic control unit that controls a motor. The motor assists human power that is inputted to a bicycle. Upon determining a gear changer that changes a gear ratio of the bicycle is operated, the electronic control unit switches a control state of the motor from a first control state to a second control state based on a rotation phase of a crank of the bicycle and changes a timing at which the control state of the motor is switched from the first control state to the second control state based on an inclination of the bicycle in a front-rear direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: Shimano Inc.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Tsuchizawa, Hiroshi Matsuda, Tomohiro Kondo
  • Patent number: 10889319
    Abstract: A method for controlling a power steering device including a steering assist motor and a steering wheel. In the method, a steering wheel torque setpoint is generated, the actual steering wheel torque actually exerted by the driver on the steering wheel is measured, the difference, the so-called “steering wheel torque error”, between the steering wheel torque setpoint and the actual steering wheel torque is determined, then a motor torque setpoint for the steering assist motor is generated from a first filtered proportional component on one hand, obtained by filtering via a phase-lead filter the steering wheel torque error weighted by a first assist gain, and from a second derivative return component on the other hand, obtained by calculating the time derivative of the actual steering wheel torque and weighting the derivative by means of a second derivative gain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2021
    Assignee: JTEKT EUROPE
    Inventors: Pascal Moulaire, Hervé Peltier, Arnaud Thiery, Tahar Slama
  • Patent number: 10884131
    Abstract: An 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: August 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Andrea Allais, Micah Christopher Chambers
  • Patent number: 10875617
    Abstract: A hydraulic steering system for vehicles includes a steering control member; a hydraulic pump provided with a rotatable driving shaft on which the control member is fitted; a hydraulic actuating cylinder connected with two ports of the pump alternately operating as delivery side and return side of the pump and mechanically connected with a direction changing member, which determines a change in the direction by modifying orientation via an actuating cylinder as a function of the supply of hydraulic fluid to the cylinder from the pump by the steering control member. The driving shaft is dynamically connected with an electric motor/transmission assembly, which is activated alternatively by generating a rotational force auxiliary to the movement manually exerted on the steering control member or opposing the manually exerted movement, or by driving to rotate the driving shaft of the pump in place of the manual action driving the steering control member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Inventors: Marcella Gai, Enrico Pagani
  • Patent number: 10871577
    Abstract: The present disclosure can perform positioning of a terminal even though a communication bandwidth capable of being used by a reference station is narrow. In a positioning method, a positioning system, a correction information generation method, and a correction information generation apparatus of the present disclosure, coordinates of a terminal are positioned by using the reference station, a plurality of relay stations communicating with the reference station, and the terminal communicating with the relay station. In the positioning method, the positioning system, the correction information generation method, and the correction information generation apparatus of the present disclosure, information for specifying the relay station communicating with the terminal is acquired, and the correction information is generated based on the positioning signal from a satellite which is received by the reference station based on the coordinates of the relay station communicating with the terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2020
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yasuhisa Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 10859398
    Abstract: Systems, devices, methods, and techniques are described for automated air traffic management using multiple flight operation modes. In one example, a method includes receiving, by a computing device comprising one or more processors, data associated with one or more aircraft in flight in a controlled airspace. The method further includes selecting, by the computing device, based at least in part on the data associated with the one or more aircraft, a respective flight operation mode from among a plurality of flight operation modes for at least one respective aircraft among the one or more aircraft in flight. The method further includes outputting, by the computing device for transmission to the at least one respective aircraft, an indication of the respective flight operation mode selected for the at least one respective aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: ARCHITECTURE TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventor: Douglas Sweet
  • Patent number: 10843715
    Abstract: This invention concerns a regenerative braking system for installation on a bogie of a railway vehicle. The regenerative system includes an energy storage system for storing energy in mechanical or kinetic form, a transmission system and a control unit. The transmission system is selectively operable between different modes including a braking mode in which it transmits mechanical or kinetic energy from an axle of the bogie to the energy storage system and a drive mode in which it transmits mechanical or kinetic energy from the energy storage system to the axle of the bogie. The control unit is, in use, in communication with a prime mover of the train and the transmission system so as to receive control signals from the prime mover and automatically operate the mode of the transmission system in response to the control signals. The invention also concerns a railway bogie including a regenerative braking system, a regenerative energy management system and a method of operating the regenerative braking system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: Transnet Soc Limited
    Inventor: Andreas Pyper
  • Patent number: 10847041
    Abstract: Described is an airborne monitoring station (“AMS”) for use in monitoring a coverage area and/or unmanned aerial vehicles (“UAVs”) positioned within a coverage area of the AMS. For example, the AMS may be an airship that remains at a high altitude (e.g., 45,000 feet) that monitors a coverage area that is within a line-of-sight of the AMS. As UAVs enter, navigate within and exit the coverage area, the AMS may wirelessly communicate with the UAVs, facilitate communication between the UAVs and one or more remote computing resources, and/or monitor a position of the UAVs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Amir Navot, Gur Kimchi, Brandon William Porter, Avi Bar-Zeev, Daniel Buchmueller
  • Patent number: 10838427
    Abstract: A vision-aided inertial navigation system determines navigation solutions for a traveling vehicle. A navigation solution module analyzes image sensor poses and estimated inertial navigation solutions to produce a time sequence of system navigation solution outputs that represent changing locations of the traveling vehicle. A loop closure detector performs a two-threshold image classification to classify an incoming navigation image as novel, loop-closing, or neither, and the navigation solution module resets the navigation solution output to represent a previous location when the loop closure detector classifies an incoming navigation image as loop-closing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard W. Madison, Melanie K. Stich