Patents Examined by Kevin P Mahne
  • Patent number: 9958864
    Abstract: Various embodiments relate generally to autonomous vehicles and associated mechanical, electrical and electronic hardware, computer software and systems, and wired and wireless network communications to provide an autonomous vehicle fleet as a service. More specifically, systems, devices, and methods are configured to manage a fleet of autonomous vehicles. In particular, a method may include determining destination locations for autonomous vehicles, calculating, at an autonomous vehicle service platform, delivery locations to which the autonomous vehicles are directed, identifying data to implement a delivery location associated with an autonomous vehicle, and transmitting data representing a command to the autonomous vehicle. The command may be configured to cause navigation of the autonomous vehicle to the delivery location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: Zoox, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy David Kentley-Klay, Rachad Youssef Gamara
  • Patent number: 9959764
    Abstract: A method includes receiving and storing operational data including a first plurality of data points indicative of a plurality of respective states of an operational parameter of the vehicle at a plurality of respective times, external data including a second plurality of data points indicative of a plurality of respective states of an environment external to the vehicle at a plurality of respective times, and synchronization data. The method also includes generating a virtual model of an event involving the vehicle using the stored data, at least by generating a first visual representation of the plurality of respective states of the operational parameter, generating a second visual representation of the plurality of respective states of the external environment, and using the synchronization data to cause the first visual representation to be displayed simultaneously with, and in a time-aligned manner with, the second visual representation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: STATE FARM MUTUAL AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE COMPANY
    Inventors: Todd Binion, Joe Harr, Brian Fields, Steven Cielocha, Steve J. Balbach
  • Patent number: 9849828
    Abstract: An indicator system for an autonomous agricultural vehicle includes a multicolor lighting assembly. The indicator system includes a controller comprising a memory operatively coupled to a processor. The processor is configured to select a status indication from a plurality of status indications that corresponds to a current operating state of a plurality of operating states. The processor is configured to output a second signal indicative of instructions to control the multicolor lighting assembly based on the status indication. The multicolor lighting assembly emits a light in response to the second signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignees: CNH Industrial America LLC, Autonomous Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher A. Foster, Bret Todd Turpin, Mitchel R. Torrie, John H. Posselius
  • Patent number: 9835719
    Abstract: A system and method are provided and include a subject vehicle having a sensor that senses information about an environment of the subject vehicle. An actuator rotates the sensor according to a commanded angle. A controller determines a position and a trajectory path of the subject vehicle, determines an adaptive point along the determined trajectory path based on the position, and generates the commanded angle for the actuator to rotate the sensor towards the adaptive point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: DENSO International America, Inc.
    Inventor: Trong Duy Nguyen
  • Patent number: 9836077
    Abstract: An output signal device and method that provides the operator force feedback similar to a pilot control joystick. These force feedback regions include free play, dead-band start of modulation, modulation, fore-warning bumper and hold near max angle. This output signal device may also vary the fore-warning feel and hold positions to be at any angle. This output signal device uses force sensing as the signal and has force slope changes used as auto-calibration of the output signal. This improves signal accuracy and provides a service prognostic signal. The prognostic signal may be used to activate redundant sensor. The variable force feedback may improve operation on rough terrain. The force feedback, may allow more productive operating positions to be learned. This enables productivity and other important job site criteria such as fuel usage to be optimized by interactive communication with this output signal device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: Prince Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: David Paul Smith, Chun Feng Xia, Lukasz Grzegorz Osikowicz
  • Patent number: 9824508
    Abstract: The present invention is generally related to monitoring and remotely accessing the environmental and operating parameters on a vehicle such as a bus, train, subway, taxi, ride share, airplane, ferry, hyper loop, or other transit vehicle, although applications are not so limited. Embodiments of the present invention including mounting sensors, that communicate data over a network, on the inside and externally to vehicles such that the sensor data can be: monitored and viewed remotely; monitored or viewed by transit patrons using the vehicle; and monitored and viewed by the driver on a driver control unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2017
    Assignee: Cubic Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas Busch-Sorensen, Rasheed Behrooznia
  • Patent number: 9801329
    Abstract: An on-the-go monitor and control means and method for an agriculture machines includes on-the-go soil sensors that can be used to control tillage and seeding depth. On seeder implements, the sensors provide information that affects uniform plant emergence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: Ag Leader Technology
    Inventor: Roger R. Zielke
  • Patent number: 9805592
    Abstract: This presentation provides methods to track pedestrians heading angle using smart phone data. Tracking heading angle especially at or from stationary position is key for pedestrian safety, e.g., for smart cross system and pedestrian collision mitigation system. It provides pedestrian-to-vehicle (P2V) platform. It deploys smart phones or mobile devices, equipped with DSRC (Dedicated short range communication) support, to act as beacons for pedestrians: Phone can alert driver to pedestrian presence in path; Pedestrian Basic Safety Message (BSM) can aid awareness for vehicles; It can be used for bicycles, as well. It also provides pedestrian-to-infrastructure (P2I) platform. Smart phone, through DSRC/cellular, transmits pedestrian presence to crosswalks/signals: It enables advanced crosswalk lighting/warning scheme; It enables bundling of pedestrian presence to vehicles. In this presentation, we provide various examples and variations on these.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: Savari, Inc.
    Inventors: Faroog Ibrahim, Navin Chandra Rao Katta
  • Patent number: 9787092
    Abstract: An aircraft power management system includes an electrical power supply input configured to be coupled to an electrical power supply, a first power supply bus bar coupled to the power supply input, at least one primary electrical equipment including a primary load coupled in parallel to the first power supply bus bar, a bus bar switch configured to selectively deactivate the first power supply bus bar downstream of the at least one primary electrical equipment, a load monitoring device configured to monitor the power demand of the primary load and to output a deactivation signal to the bus bar switch for selectively deactivating the first power supply bus bar, if the monitored power demand of the primary load exceeds a primary threshold, and at least one tertiary electrical equipment including a tertiary load coupled to the first power supply bus bar downstream of the at least one primary electrical equipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH
    Inventors: Sebastian Scheffler, Frank Leuenberger
  • Patent number: 9771148
    Abstract: An airport terminal gate traffic management system is provided that maximizes efficiency and safety of passenger transfer and aircraft servicing and minimizes aircraft time parked at a terminal. Aircraft are driven forward into and out of gates by controllable landing gear wheel non-engine drive means and parked in a parallel or perpendicular orientation relative to the terminal that facilitates passenger transfer through a maximum number of aircraft doors. Passenger transfer and aircraft servicing may begin upon aircraft arrival using all available accessible aircraft doors. Departing aircraft may be turned by an unassisted pilot and driven forward with the controllable non-engine drive means to a takeoff runway. Airport terminal aircraft gate traffic is most effectively and efficiently managed when a significant number of aircraft using an airport are equipped with non-engine drive means controllable to move them into and out of a parking orientation optimal for passenger transfer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: Borealis Technical Limited
    Inventors: Joseph J. Cox, Isaiah W. Cox
  • Patent number: 9759572
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of predicting whether a vehicle can reach a desired facility or point by traveling on a retrieved route to the destination. A navigation apparatus includes an information storage that stores map information, a current position detector that detects a current position of the vehicle, an instruction receiver that receives a setting of a destination, and a vehicle information receiver that receives information on a remaining amount of the electricity charged. The navigation apparatus further includes a processing circuitry that retrieves a route to the destination from the map information and calculates a first travelable range in which the vehicle is allowed to travel from the current position through at least a part of the route to cause the first travelable range to be displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tomo Okada
  • Patent number: 9751521
    Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling and operating a hybrid vehicle having a high degree of hybridization are disclosed. A power flow control system predicts vehicle power demand to drive the hybrid vehicle based on changing conditions during operation of the hybrid vehicle. The power flow control system controls the power flow so as to provide power to drive the hybrid vehicle based on the predicted vehicle power demand, wherein the predicted vehicle power demand is greater than a maximum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: PALO ALTO RESEARCH CENTER INCORPORATED
    Inventors: David E. Schwartz, Sean Garner, Bhaskar Saha, Simon Barber
  • Patent number: 9752878
    Abstract: Control handover planning for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is provided that includes determining, by a planning system, a current location of a mobile control system and a current location of the UAV. A target location is identified. A control handover zone is determined based on a communication range constraint between the mobile control system and the UAV. The control handover zone is located between the current location of the mobile control system, the current location of the UAV, and the target location. A mobile control system path plan and a UAV path plan are created that each includes a control handover waypoint in the control handover zone at the same time. The control handover waypoint defines a planned location to place the mobile control system in control of the UAV.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: James S. Magson, Gary Howland, Cherry Cwalina
  • Patent number: 9731718
    Abstract: Disclosed is a route evaluation device that enables traveling along a route in consideration of an operation of the driver of another vehicle, and can realize a safer traffic environment. A route evaluation device includes a route candidate generation section that generates route candidates of a host-vehicle, a route prediction section that predicts routes of another vehicle, a classification section that classifies the interference states of the route candidates of the host-vehicle and the predicted routes of another vehicle into a plurality of interference forms, and a route evaluation section that evaluates the routes of the host-vehicle on the basis of the interference forms classified by the classification section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Katsuhiro Sakai, Hiromitsu Urano, Kazuaki Aso, Masahiro Harada, Toshiki Kindo
  • Patent number: 9725079
    Abstract: For traction control, different filters, i.e., a hydraulic-pressure-increase filter and a hydraulic-pressure-decrease filter, are provided for increasing and decreasing target pressure, respectively. The inhibiting effect that the hydraulic-pressure-increase filter exhibits with respect to target pressure changes is made less than the inhibiting effect that the hydraulic-pressure-decrease filter exhibits with respect to changes in the target pressure, and so the target pressure is increased quickly but decreased slowly. As such, even if the wheel-cylinder pressure decreases subsequent to the actual wheel-cylinder pressure having increased to follow the target pressure, the wheel-cylinder pressure decreases only gradually, reducing the amount of pressure increase needed to reach the target pressure when the wheel-cylinder pressure is next increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: ADVICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yasuhito Ishida, Yusuke Nakagawa, Ken Kudo
  • Patent number: 9702115
    Abstract: An autonomous method for detecting when an earthmoving machine has moved a pile of dirt into contact with another pile of dirt may include receiving at a controller a plurality of signals indicative of one or more parameters including a ground speed of the machine, a target ground speed of the machine, a load on a work implement of the machine, an output speed of a torque converter of the machine, a machine pitch, a machine steering command, a machine heading, and a heading of a slot the machine is in. The controller may standardize and normalize each signal from the plurality of signals in order to create values for each of the one or more parameters that all fall within a common range, wherein the common range is representative of a range from minimum to maximum values for each of the one or more parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventor: Carl P. Darukhanavala
  • Patent number: 9702707
    Abstract: An apparatus includes (i) an absolute position sensor coupled to a case, the position sensor including a light sensor, and circuitry configured to determine an identifier within a barcode, the individual bars of the barcode being sensed by the light sensor, and (ii) a motion sensor coupled to the case, the motion sensor including a first magnetic field sensor, a code wheel having two or more magnets positioned to rotate in unison with a wheel of the moveable object, and encoder circuitry configured to determine an amount of rotation of the wheel of the moveable object based on an output of the first magnetic field sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: Applabz, LLC
    Inventors: David Allan Goldman, Nirav Balkrishna Patel
  • Patent number: 9697652
    Abstract: A method is provided for monitoring a state of health of a vehicle system and includes measuring a plurality of parameter values for the system at different running conditions as an end of line test, storing the parameter values in a fingerprint file, measuring the same plurality of parameter values that is comprised in the fingerprint file after a predefined time interval, adding a predefined ageing offset to the fingerprint file, where the ageing offset corresponds to a predicted wear of the system during the predefined time interval, thereby obtaining a time modified fingerprint file for the system, comparing the measured values with the time modified fingerprint file, and issuing a message if the measured values deviates from the time modified fingerprint file. The state of health can be compared with initial measurements such that the state of health of a vehicle system or component can be monitored over a longer time period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: Volvo Truck Corporation
    Inventors: Jerker Lennevi, Bengt Larsson, Tobias Smidebrant
  • Patent number: 9696431
    Abstract: It is disclosed to select a relative positioning method from a set of at least two different relative positioning methods that are for determining an estimate of a relative position between first and second entities. The method is selected in dependence on at least one of the following criteria: an estimated/measured distance between the first and second entities; a relative positioning capability, of at least one of the first entity, the second entity and at least one server entity associated with at least one of the first and second entities, to determine an estimate of a relative position between two entities; and an availability, at at least one of the at least one server entity, of a service providing data of at least one reference entity useable for determining an estimate of a relative position between the reference entity and one of the first and second entities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy
    Inventor: Lauri Wirola
  • Patent number: 9691194
    Abstract: Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to a fleet management system configured for capturing and evaluating vehicle telematics data, such as data captured from one or more vehicle telematics devices indicative of one or more vehicle dynamics, and service data, such as data captured from one or more portable data acquisition devices indicative of one or more service dynamics. In certain embodiments, the fleet management system is configured to associate captured vehicle telematics data with captured service data based on the contextual attributes of each, such as the time, date, and location of data capture. By synching the vehicle telematics data to the service data, the operational data can be uniquely assessed for various operational efficiencies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2017
    Assignee: United Parcel Service of America, Inc.
    Inventor: Mark J. Davidson