Patents Examined by Jonathan M Dager
  • Patent number: 11794742
    Abstract: A location of an occupant within a vehicle and/or an activity engaged in by the occupant may be determined. Based on the location and/or the activity, a point of interest associated with the occupant and/or the vehicle may be determined. One or more systems of the vehicle, such as the steering and/or suspension, may be controlled to minimize acceleration associated with the point of interest, thereby increasing a comfort of the occupant. In instances where the vehicle includes more than one occupant, the vehicle may be adjusted to accommodate the multiple occupants.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2023
    Assignee: Zoox, Inc.
    Inventors: David Martins Belo, Johannes Edren, Johannes Andreas Huennekens, Ella Strack
  • Patent number: 11787412
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for adjusting noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) limits for a vehicle based on an occupancy level of the vehicle. The occupancy level is inferred based on a number of occupants and their position within a vehicle, and further based on a degree of interaction of a primary occupant with vehicle controls. As the occupancy level decreases, NVH constraints for operating the vehicle are reduced and one or more vehicle operating parameters nay be based on the reduced NVH constraints.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Stuart N. Ford, Adam Nathan Banker
  • Patent number: 11787398
    Abstract: A driving assist system executes driving assist control for avoiding a collision with a target ahead of a vehicle. The driving assist control operates when the target exists within an assist area. First and second roadway boundaries of a roadway area are located on first and second sides as viewed from the vehicle, respectively. A crossing target is the target crossing the roadway area ahead of the vehicle from the first side toward the second side. The assist area for the crossing target is an area between an assist start boundary located on the first side as viewed from the vehicle and an assist end boundary located on the second side as viewed from the vehicle. The driving assist system sets the assist end boundary at a position between the vehicle and the second roadway boundary of the roadway area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoshi Nakamura, Kazuyuki Fujita, Minami Sato, Takahisa Awata
  • Patent number: 11790786
    Abstract: Systems, methods and non-transitory computer readable storage media for airspace management within an airspace region at a node of a peer to peer network having a plurality of nodes and maintaining a blockchain containing a current deconflicted flight schedule for the airspace region. One method includes receiving requests for airspace reservations, each including flight plan data, from other nodes over the peer to peer network, compiling the flight plan data to identify conflicts between the requests and the current deconflicted flight schedule, validating the flight plan data of the requests that do not conflict with the current deconflicted flight schedule to generate validated airspace reservations, creating a block containing the validated airspace reservations and interlinking the block with the blockchain such that the blockchain contains a new deconflicted flight schedule for the airspace region for broadcast to the other nodes over the peer to peer network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: Textron Innovations Inc.
    Inventor: Jeffrey Bosworth
  • Patent number: 11787446
    Abstract: A vehicle is a vehicle on which an autonomous driving kit (ADK) is mountable. The vehicle includes: a vehicle platform (VP) that controls the vehicle in accordance with an instruction from the ADK; and a vehicle control interface that serves as an interface between the ADK and the VP. The VP receives a driver deceleration request in accordance with an amount of depression of a brake pedal by a driver, and receives a system deceleration request from the ADK through the vehicle control interface. During an autonomous mode, the VP specifies the sum of the driver deceleration request and the system deceleration request as a target deceleration of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ikuma Suzuki, Yuta Ohashi
  • Patent number: 11790787
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to providing pilots with timely information to allow for better decision making and improved safety during the piloting of a flight. The systems and methods described herein can employ a collection of algorithms that can take disparate information, process it, and synthesize it into meaningful information for a pilot, flight crew, other flight systems, and/or other algorithms to consume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: The MITRE Corporation
    Inventors: Steven L. Estes, John R. Helleberg, Kevin M. Long, Matthew E. Pollack, Marco Quezada, Jeffrey Stein
  • Patent number: 11780453
    Abstract: A method for assignment of vehicle control includes receiving route data indicating a route between a starting location of a vehicle and a destination location, and determining an optimal vehicle configuration for the route based on a target vehicle speed and a hybrid torque split. The method further includes receiving a driver requested torque value and determining a passive pedal torque value based on the route data and vehicle powertrain data. The method further includes selectively assigning control of the vehicle to a vehicle system or to a driver of the vehicle based on the driver requested torque value and the passive pedal torque value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: DELPHI TECHNOLOGIES IP LIMITED
    Inventors: Karim Aggoune, Frans M. Theunissen
  • Patent number: 11772633
    Abstract: A vehicle control method is applied to a vehicle 1 in which a front wheel 2 is driven by an engine 4, and the method includes a basic torque setting step of setting basic torque to be generated by the engine 4, based on an operational state of the vehicle 1; an acceleration torque setting step of setting acceleration torque, based on a reduction in steering angle of a steering apparatus 5 mounted on the vehicle 1; a torque generation step of controlling the engine 4 so that torque based on the basic torque and the acceleration torque is generated; and an acceleration torque changing step of changing the acceleration torque, based on a vehicle-width-direction mounting position of a steering wheel 6 and an operation direction of the steering wheel 6 when the steering angle is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignees: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION, IKUTOKU GAKUEN
    Inventors: Takatoshi Tsukano, Shohei Yamada, Daisuke Umetsu, Fuminori Kato, Osamu Sunahara, Masato Abe, Makoto Yamakado, Yoshio Kano, Kazuki Sato
  • Patent number: 11772637
    Abstract: An embodiment vehicle includes a collecting device for collecting environment information, a user input for automatic parking of the vehicle, an automatic parking controller for performing the automatic parking based on the environment information and the user input, and a behavior controller for controlling a behavior of the vehicle in response to control of the automatic parking controller. The automatic parking controller calculates a first progress corresponding to determination of whether the user input is a wake-up request, a second progress corresponding to acquisition of a control right for the behavior controller, a third progress corresponding to whether the user input is an execution request for the automatic parking, a fourth progress corresponding to generation of control information for the behavior controller, and a fifth progress corresponding to control of the vehicle's behavior.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Corporation
    Inventors: In Mook Kim, Sun Woo Jeong
  • Patent number: 11772665
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for operating a vehicle that includes a piezoelectric device. The piezoelectric device may harvest energy that may be transferred between two masses, such as a chassis and a vehicle suspension, to power electrical components of a vehicle. In addition, output of the piezoelectric device may be monitored to identify degradation of electrical connectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Pallavi Gattu, Kristian Ulyses Flores Aviña, Miguel Angel Leon Guerrero
  • Patent number: 11772666
    Abstract: System and techniques for test scenario verification, for a simulation of an autonomous vehicle safety action, are described. In an example, measuring performance of a test scenario used in testing an autonomous driving safety requirement includes: defining a test environment for a test scenario that tests compliance with a safety requirement including a minimum safe distance requirement; identifying test procedures to use in the test scenario that define actions for testing the minimum safe distance requirement; identifying test parameters to use with the identified test procedures, such as velocity, amount of braking, timing of braking, and rate of acceleration or deceleration; and creating the test scenario for use in an autonomous driving test simulator. Use of the test scenario includes applying the identified test procedures and the identified test parameters to identify a response of a test vehicle to the minimum safe distance requirement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Mobileye Vision Technologies Ltd.
    Inventors: Qianying Zhu, Lidan Zhang, Xiangbin Wu, Xinxin Zhang, Fei Li
  • Patent number: 11768077
    Abstract: Some embodiments provide a map application that identities a transit mute that includes one or more transit legs between a starting location and a destination location. In response to a request to shirt navigating the identified transit route, the map application of some embodiments provides a first display area for displaying a set of navigation instructions, each of which describes a transit maneuver that is associated with a transit leg of the transit route. The map application also provides a second display area for displaying a map region presentation associated with the navigation instruction that is displayed in the first display area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Usama M. Hajj, Marcel Van Os, Brian Andrich, Ian Leighton, Justin O'Beirne, David Hodge, Eleanor Cady Wachsman, Nathaniel V. Kelso, Aaron A. Reiner, Christine B. McGavran, Wesley Yue, Eric L. Grundstrom
  • Patent number: 11760610
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for real time monitoring of the current status of a construction site having one or more work machines, wherein a monitoring means installed at least one work machine monitors the environment of the work machine in real time and generates corresponding monitoring data, with the generated monitoring data being transmitted by the monitoring means to at least one processing unit for a real time evaluation of the current construction site status.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: LIEBHERR-WERK BIBERACH GMBH
    Inventors: Dominique Tasch, Guenther Hardock, Wolfgang Schlaucher
  • Patent number: 11760349
    Abstract: A parallel computing method for man-machine coordinated steering control of a smart vehicle based on risk assessment is provided, comprising the following steps: building a lateral kinetic equation model of a vehicle; building a target function by targeting at minimizing an offset distance of a vehicle driving track from a lane center line and making a change in a front wheel steering angle and a longitudinal acceleration as small as possible in a driving process; building a parallel computing architecture of a prediction model and the target function, and employing a triggering parallel computing method; solving and computing a gradient with a manner of back propagation and using a gradient descent method to obtain an optimal control amount of the front wheel steering angle and an optimal control amount of the longitudinal acceleration; and computing a driving weight, obtaining a desired front wheel steering angle and completing real time control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: TONGJI UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Hong Chen, Bin Li, Qiang Meng, Lin Zhang, Yanjun Huang
  • Patent number: 11756315
    Abstract: A method for classifying an underlying surface travelled by an agricultural utility vehicle includes acquiring a detail of a surface of the underlying surface in the form of optical data, classifying the optical data in a data processing unit with respect to different underlying surface classes, and determining an underlying surface class on the basis of the classifying step. Output data is output from the data processing unit representative of the determined underlying surface class as a classification result. A technical feature of the utility vehicle is adapted as a function of the classification result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: DEERE & COMPANY
    Inventors: Martin Schmidt, Norbert Fritz
  • Patent number: 11753243
    Abstract: A storage device disclosed in the present description includes an acquisition section and a management section. When a case accommodating multiple accommodatable objects is loaded into a storage container, the acquisition section performs wireless communication with both a first wireless tag attached to the case and a second wireless tag attached to each of the multiple accommodatable objects. The acquisition section acquires specific information for specifying the case memorized in the first wireless tag and identification information for identifying each of the multiple accommodatable objects memorized in the second wireless tag. The management section associates the specific information and the identification information acquired by the acquisition section with each other to manage a correspondence relationship between the specific information and the identification information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2023
    Assignee: FUJI CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tsuyoshi Mizukoshi
  • Patent number: 11745785
    Abstract: A vehicle control system is used for a vehicle in which steering control is executable. The vehicle control system includes an operation element configured to receive a driving operation by an occupant; a contact sensor configured to detect a contact operation on the operation element from either a first side or a second side in a vehicle width direction; and a travel control unit configured to change a travel position of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction within a travel path where the vehicle is traveling if the contact sensor detects the contact operation in a state where the steering control is executable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Ryo Yamazaki, Yosuke Shimizu, Takeyuki Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11738803
    Abstract: A method for determining a sensor offset of a sensor in a device, in particular in a steering system for a motor vehicle. The device has a first component, a second component which is movable with respect to the first component, a resetting element, an actuator and a sensor for determining the relative motion between the first component and the second component. The method comprises the following steps: firstly, a predetermined relative motion between the first component and the second component is generated by the actuator. The resulting relative motion is measured by means of the sensor, and the sensor data obtained from the measurement are stored. A constant sensor offset of the sensor is then determined on the basis of the stored sensor data. Furthermore, a device is described whose sensor offset can be determined by means of the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: ZF Automotive Germany GmbH
    Inventor: Tobias Oesterwind
  • Patent number: 11738743
    Abstract: A collision avoidance method for a vehicle includes monitoring a lateral distance between the vehicle and a target vehicle while the vehicle is travelling within a first lane and the target vehicle is travelling within an adjacent second lane, activating a warning on the vehicle and automatically adjusting operation of the vehicle to increase the distance between the vehicle and the target vehicle when the lateral distance between the vehicle and the target vehicle is less than the threshold distance while the vehicle is travelling within the first lane. Automatically adjusting operation of the vehicle may include one or both of steering the vehicle laterally away from the target vehicle and adjusting a longitudinal velocity of the vehicle. A related collision avoidance system is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
    Inventors: Ananda Pandy, Christopher L. Tharp
  • Patent number: 11731651
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for optimizing values of a set of tunable parameters of an autonomous driving vehicle (ADV). The controllers can be a linear quadratic regular, a “bicycle model,” a model-reference adaptive controller (MRAC) that reduces actuation latency in control subsystems such as steering, braking, and throttle, or other controller (“controllers”). An optimizer selects a set tunable parameters for the controllers. A task distribution system pairs each set of parameters with each of a plurality of simulated driving scenarios, and dispatches a task to the simulator to perform the simulation with the set of parameters. Each simulation is scored. A weighted score is generated from the simulation. The optimizer uses the weighted score as a target objective for a next iteration of the optimizer, for a fixed number of iterations. A physical real-world ADV is navigated using the optimized set of parameters for the controllers in the ADV.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2023
    Assignee: BAIDU USA LLC
    Inventors: Weiman Lin, Yu Cao, Yu Wang, Qi Luo, Shu Jiang, Xiangquan Xiao, Longtao Lin, Jinghao Miao, Jiangtao Hu