Patents Examined by Kenneth J Malkowski
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Patent number: 11351992Abstract: Described herein is a method and system for assisting a driver of a vehicle (1) to drive with precaution. Vehicle environment monitoring sensors (3a, 3b) determines other road users and particular features associated with a traffic situation of the vehicle (1) and hypotheses are applied related to hypothetical threats that may arise based thereupon. A driver level of attention, required to handle the hypothetical threats, and a time until that level will be required is estimated. A current driver level of attention is derived, from driver-monitoring sensors (4). If determined that the estimated required driver level of attention exceeds the current and the time until the estimated driver level of attention will be required is less than a threshold-time (tthres), there is produced at least one of visual (5), acoustic (6) and haptic (7) information to a vehicle driver environment, and/or triggered at least one of automated braking (8) and steering (9) of the vehicle (1).Type: GrantFiled: May 31, 2019Date of Patent: June 7, 2022Assignees: ZENUITY AB, VOLVO CAR CORPORATIONInventors: Mattias Brännström, Claes Olsson, Andrew Backhouse, Victor Trent
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Patent number: 11348342Abstract: The invention relates to a method for improved data fusion during environment detection in a motor vehicle (50), comprising the following steps: detecting (101) an environment (40) of the motor vehicle (50) using at least one sensor (2); recognising (102) objects (81) in measurement data (20) detected by the at least one sensor (2); fusioning (115) of the recognised objects (81) and the object positions thereof in an environment map (80), wherein a probability of existence is/will be assigned to objects (81) recorded in the environment map (80), and wherein the probability of existence of a recorded object (81) is reduced, when a free region (86, 86.1) is measured during the detection of the position of the recorded object, wherein a respective orientation attribute (60) is assigned to the objects (81) recorded in the environment map (80) and recorded in the environment map (80), and for a region in the sensor region (83.1, 83.2, 83.3) of the at least one sensor (2), in which a free region (86, 86.Type: GrantFiled: July 13, 2016Date of Patent: May 31, 2022Assignees: VOLKSWAGEN AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, AUDI AGInventors: Simon Steinmeyer, Daniel Mossau, Marek Musial, Oliver Birbach, Patrick Glässer, Tim Kubertschak
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Patent number: 11345365Abstract: A control device includes a getting-into/out facility selection unit configured to select one or more getting-into/out facilities where a vehicle to be parked in a parking lot will stop from among a plurality of getting-into/out facilities on the basis of at least information indicating a driving assistance level at which driving assistance can be executed by the vehicle and information associated with the parking lot having the plurality of getting-into/out facilities and a guidance unit configured to guide the vehicle to the selected getting-into/out facility.Type: GrantFiled: May 11, 2020Date of Patent: May 31, 2022Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Junpei Noguchi, Chie Sugihara, Ryoma Taguchi, Yuta Takada
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Patent number: 11333520Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention describe identifying details of the area around a first vehicle and identifying a potential confusion point in a navigation route of the first vehicle. Additionally, embodiments of the present invention determining based on a threshold, whether to provide a driver of the first vehicle with a visual clue to assist with navigating through the identified potential confusion point, responsive to determining to provide a visual clue, identifying one or more visual clues from an area surrounding the first vehicle; and outputting the identified one or more visual clues to the driver.Type: GrantFiled: June 12, 2019Date of Patent: May 17, 2022Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Sushain Pandit, Smitkumar Narotambhai Marvaniya, Vijay Ekambaram, Kovit Nisar
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Patent number: 11332124Abstract: A vehicular sensing system includes a plurality of sensors disposed at a vehicle so as to have a combined field of sensing forward, rearward and sideward of the vehicle. Data captured by the sensors is processed at a control to detect objects present in a respective field of sensing. A control designates a plurality of locations within the fields of sensing. As the vehicle moves along the road, the control increases a value for each designated location when an object is detected at that designated location and decreases the value for each designated location when an object is not detected at that designated location. The control, as the vehicle moves along the road, generates an object map based on values for the designated locations. The greater the value for a particular designated location, the greater the probability an object is present at that particular designated location.Type: GrantFiled: January 9, 2020Date of Patent: May 17, 2022Assignee: MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC.Inventors: Mahdi Marsousi, Harold E. Joseph, Nikhil Gupta, Alexander Velichko
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Patent number: 11325565Abstract: A vehicle recognition device includes a vehicle recognizer and a wiper controller. The vehicle recognizer is configured to determine, upon a first state, whether a transition is made from the first state to a second state. The first state is a state in which a second vehicle is recognizable from captured images obtained from respective cameras provided in a first vehicle. The second state is a state in which the second vehicle is unrecognizable from one or more of the captured images. The one or more of the captured images is obtained from all or a part of the cameras. The wiper controller is configured to automatically control an operation of a wiper of the first vehicle on the basis of an automatic control, when the vehicle recognizer determines that the transition is made from the first state to the second state.Type: GrantFiled: October 17, 2019Date of Patent: May 10, 2022Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATIONInventor: Naoki Takahashi
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Patent number: 11325588Abstract: Disclosed herein is a vehicle control system and a method of controlling the vehicle. The vehicle control system includes: at least one sensor module disposed in a vehicle to have a detecting area for the inside or the outside of the vehicle, configured to capture detecting data and to process the captured detecting data; and a controller configured to park the vehicle in a recognized parking space using position coordinates of each of at least two objects based at least in part on the processing of the detecting data.Type: GrantFiled: January 2, 2020Date of Patent: May 10, 2022Assignee: Mando Mobility Solutions CorporationInventor: Nac Dong Kim
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Patent number: 11318930Abstract: A parking assistance device includes: a marking line detector that detects a plurality of marking lines delineating a parking area from an image taken by an imaging unit; a second determiner that determines whether or not the type of parking for parking a vehicle in a parkable area is angle parking, on the basis of the angle obtained between a parking baseline joining the endpoints on the vehicle side of the detected plurality of marking lines and the plurality of marking lines, or the angle obtained between the parking baseline and one marking line selected from among the plurality of marking lines; and a parking position setter that, in the case where the second determiner determines that the type of parking corresponds to angle parking, sets a parking position inside the parkable area in which to park the vehicle, on the basis of the parking baseline.Type: GrantFiled: March 5, 2020Date of Patent: May 3, 2022Assignee: CLARION CO., LTD.Inventor: Toshihisa Kuwahara
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Patent number: 11312414Abstract: Disclosed herein are Motor-Driven Power Steering (MDPS) and a control method thereof. The MDPS includes an information detection unit configured to detect information about the behavior of a vehicle; and a controller configured to receive the information about the behavior of the vehicle from the information detection unit, to determine whether the vehicle is accelerating and whether the vehicle pulls to one side, and to generate compensation torque and drive a driving motor based thereon.Type: GrantFiled: April 19, 2019Date of Patent: April 26, 2022Assignee: HYUNDAI MOBIS CO., LTD.Inventor: Pil Woo Lee
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Patent number: 11301700Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for safely parking an autonomous vehicle on sensor anomaly. Based on current position of the AV, an angular velocity and curvature required for the AV to reach a safe parking space may be determined, upon detecting non-working of at least one primary sensor associated with the AV. Further, one or more obstacles proximal to the AV may be detected using one or more secondary sensors attached to the AV. Furthermore, based on detection of the one or more obstacles, the AV may be navigated in a track by maintaining a safe distance from the one or more obstacles. Finally, the AV may be navigated along the determined curvature upon detecting absence of the one or more obstacles to reach the safe parking space at the edge of the road.Type: GrantFiled: October 8, 2019Date of Patent: April 12, 2022Assignee: Wipro LimitedInventors: Balaji Sunil Kumar, Manas Sarkar
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Patent number: 11299164Abstract: A method and a device for generating a signal which indicates the imminent formation of slipperiness on a roadway (2) before this arises on the roadway, wherein radiation reflected from the roadway, or from a point adjacent to the roadway, is evaluated, which radiation emanates from at least one reference surface (11) arranged in or on the roadway or the adjacent point, which reference surface is formed by a material different from the roadway covering material. The reference surface is selected from a material on which slipperiness is formed earlier than on the road surface material. The signal (13) is emitted when the evaluation shows that slipperiness has formed on the reference surface (11).Type: GrantFiled: September 6, 2017Date of Patent: April 12, 2022Assignee: Boschung Mecatronic AGInventors: Thomas Kriesche, Michel Decrevel
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Patent number: 11299204Abstract: A control unit for a reversing assistance system of a vehicle is configured to determine and to store reference data in relation to a first forward travel of the vehicle, wherein the reference data indicate a reference trajectory of the vehicle for the first forward travel from an initial position as far as a first end position. In addition, the control unit is configured to detect that the vehicle begins a new, second forward travel at an intermediate position, which lies between the initial position and the first end position on the reference trajectory. The control unit is further configured to determine reference data in relation to the second forward travel of the vehicle, wherein the reference data indicate the reference trajectory of the vehicle for the second forward travel, starting from the intermediate position.Type: GrantFiled: May 1, 2019Date of Patent: April 12, 2022Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AktiengesellschaftInventor: Michael Stroebel
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Patent number: 11287267Abstract: An apparatus is onboard a vehicle and in communication with sensors onboard the vehicle. The apparatus receives a maplet request identifying a request region; and, responsive to determining that the vehicle is within the request region, processes sensor data captured by sensors to generate a multi-sensor data stream corresponding to a road network segment. The apparatus identifies an observation corresponding to a construction marker within the multi-sensor data stream; and generates a maplet based on the observation and the maplet request. Generating the maplet comprises using a predetermined data model and a predetermined data format corresponding to a construction marker observation class to encode road data corresponding to the observation corresponding to the construction marker. The apparatus provides the maplet such that a network apparatus receives the maplet. The network apparatus is configured to validate/update map data of a digital map representing the road network based on the maplet.Type: GrantFiled: March 13, 2019Date of Patent: March 29, 2022Assignee: HERE Global B.V.Inventors: Dietmar Rabel, Robert Ledner, Carolyn Johnston, Jan Van Sickle, Timm Kayser, Eric Dieckman
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Patent number: 11287266Abstract: An apparatus is onboard a vehicle and in communication with sensors onboard the vehicle. The apparatus receives a maplet request identifying a request region; and, responsive to determining that the vehicle is within the request region, processes sensor data captured by sensors to generate a multi-sensor data stream corresponding to a road network segment. The apparatus identifies an observation corresponding to a pole-like object within the multi-sensor data stream; and generates a maplet based on the observation and the maplet request. Generating the maplet comprises using a predetermined data model and a predetermined data format corresponding to a pole-like object observation class to encode road data corresponding to the observation corresponding to the pole-like object. The apparatus provides the maplet such that a network apparatus receives the maplet. The network apparatus is configured to validate/update map data of a digital map representing the road network based on the maplet.Type: GrantFiled: March 13, 2019Date of Patent: March 29, 2022Assignee: HERE Global B.V.Inventors: Dietmar Rabel, Robert Ledner, Carolyn Johnston, Jan Van Sickle, Timm Kayser, Eric Dieckman
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Patent number: 11280622Abstract: An apparatus is onboard a vehicle and in communication with sensors onboard the vehicle. The apparatus receives a maplet request identifying a request region; and, responsive to determining that the vehicle is within the request region, processes sensor data captured by sensors to generate a multi-sensor data stream corresponding to a road network segment. The apparatus identifies an observation corresponding to a traffic signal within the multi-sensor data stream; and generates a maplet based on the observation and the maplet request. Generating the maplet comprises using a predetermined data model and a predetermined data format corresponding to a traffic signal observation class to encode road data corresponding to the observation corresponding to the traffic signal. The apparatus provides the maplet such that a network apparatus receives the maplet. The network apparatus is configured to validate/update map data of a digital map representing the road network based on the maplet.Type: GrantFiled: March 13, 2019Date of Patent: March 22, 2022Assignee: HERE Global B.V.Inventors: Dietmar Rabel, Robert Ledner, Carolyn Johnston, Jan Van Sickle, Timm Kayser, Eric Dieckman
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Patent number: 11262320Abstract: A mercury emissions monitor includes a mercury sensor tape configured to be fed in a reel-to-reel manner between first and second tape reels, wherein the mercury sensor tape includes a thin metallic film configured to form an amalgam with detected mercury. A mercury collection unit is configured to receive into a chamber a sample of a gas containing mercury, wherein the mercury collection unit is further configured to permit passage of portions of the mercury sensor tape through the chamber containing the gas sample so that the amalgam is formed with the thin metallic film. A mercury analysis unit includes a total reflection x-ray fluorescence (“TXRF”) system configured to perform a TXRF analysis of the amalgam, wherein the mercury analysis unit is configured to permit passage of the mercury sensor tape within a proximity of an XRF detector of the TXRF system.Type: GrantFiled: August 3, 2016Date of Patent: March 1, 2022Assignee: UHV Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Nalin Kumar, Manuel Gerardo Garcia, Jr.
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Patent number: 11260876Abstract: A system and method of sensor validation utilizing a sensor-fusion network. The sensor-fusion network may comprise a number of sensors associated with one or more vehicles having autonomous or partially autonomous driving functions.Type: GrantFiled: November 5, 2018Date of Patent: March 1, 2022Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbHInventors: Oliver Schwindt, Andreas Heyl, Thomas Gussner, Theresa Kienle, Joachim Mueller, Stephan Reuter
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Patent number: 11260858Abstract: A prediction device includes a camera configured to repeatedly image a region ahead of a vehicle, an extractor configured to extract a region including other vehicles from each of a plurality of images repeatedly captured by the camera, and a predictor configured to predict that a traffic jam will occur in a road on which there is the vehicle on the basis of a change in the region extracted from each of the plurality of images by the extractor between the images.Type: GrantFiled: January 3, 2020Date of Patent: March 1, 2022Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.Inventor: Takamasa Koshizen
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Patent number: 11255680Abstract: An apparatus is onboard a vehicle and in communication with sensors onboard the vehicle. The apparatus receives a maplet request identifying a request region; and, responsive to determining that the vehicle is within the request region, processes sensor data captured by sensors to generate a multi-sensor data stream corresponding to a road network segment. The apparatus identifies an observation corresponding to a road marking within the multi-sensor data stream; and generates a maplet based on the observation and the maplet request. Generating the maplet comprises using a predetermined data model and a predetermined data format corresponding to a road marking observation class to encode road data corresponding to the observation corresponding to the road marking. The apparatus provides the maplet such that a network apparatus receives the maplet. The network apparatus is configured to validate/update map data of a digital map representing the road network based on the maplet.Type: GrantFiled: March 13, 2019Date of Patent: February 22, 2022Assignee: HERE Global B.V.Inventors: Dietmar Rabel, Robert Ledner, Carolyn Johnston, Jan Van Sickle, Timm Kayser, Eric Dieckman
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Patent number: 11254305Abstract: An apparatus, a system including the apparatus, and a control method thereof, control parking of a vehicle. The apparatus includes a processor that recognizes a parking line or an object in a parking place, generates a reference line based on the parking line or the object, aligns the vehicle subject to the parking control based on the reference line, generates an expected driving path for a search for a parking place, and automatically searches for the parking place while the vehicle travels based on the expected driving path and storage that stores parking place information searched by the processor.Type: GrantFiled: October 17, 2019Date of Patent: February 22, 2022Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA MOTORS CORPORATIONInventors: Sun Woo Jeong, Yong Joon Lee