Patents Examined by Khoi H. Tran
  • Patent number: 11648960
    Abstract: A control method and a control device are provided for autonomously controlling a host vehicle when turning across an oncoming lane at an intersection with a signal light being green. A determination is made as to whether or not the host vehicle can make a right or left turn while a signal light is still green at a time of the right or left turn, either while the host vehicle in the left lane is waiting in a row of vehicles to make the right turn or while the host vehicle traveling in the right lane is waiting in a row of vehicles to make the left turn at an intersection during travel under autonomous driving. The host vehicle then creeps forward to a start position for starting at a next time the signal light is green upon determining the right or left turn cannot be made.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hajime Miura
  • Patent number: 11648670
    Abstract: A machine tool system is disclosed which can shorten time required for generating a robot program even for a machine tool user who has no experience in using a robot. A machine tool controller includes an operation panel and an interactive program generator, and sets an operation parameter of the robot using a template screen prepared for each stylized operation of the robot. The interactive program generator generates a robot preprogram using the set operation parameter, reads the robot preprogram during execution of a machine tool program, and transfers the program to a robot preprocessor. The robot preprocessor interprets the robot preprogram and outputs a control command to a robot controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: OKUMA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kenji Suzuki
  • Patent number: 11642784
    Abstract: An electronic apparatus for a database construction and control of a robotic manipulator is provided. The electronic apparatus stores information associated with a task of a robotic manipulator. The electronic apparatus further receives a first plurality of signals from a first plurality of sensors associated with a wearable device. The electronic apparatus further applies a predefined model on a first set of signals of the first plurality of signals. The electronic apparatus further determines arrow direction information based on the application of the predefined model on the first set of signals. The electronic apparatus further aggregates the determined arrow direction information with information about the first set of signals to generate output information. The electronic apparatus further stores the generated output information for each of a first plurality of poses performed for the task using the wearable device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Katsu Yamane
  • Patent number: 11642182
    Abstract: A computer-implemented medical data processing method for controlling a geometric status of a mechatronic articulable arm. Current geometric status data is acquired describing a current geometric status of the mechatronic articulable arm defined by a set of current spatial relationship between connected elements of the mechatronic articulable arm. Changed geometric status data describing a changed geometric status of the mechatronic articulable arm defined by a set of changed spatial relationship between the connected elements is determined based on current device position data, the current geometric status data, changed device position data, and device definition data. Instruction data describing an instruction for changing the geometric status of the mechatronic articulable arm from the current geometric status to the changed geometric status is determined. The instruction describes changes from the current spatial relationship to the changed spatial relationship.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: Brainlab AG
    Inventors: Karolin Ecke, Nils Frielinghaus
  • Patent number: 11642782
    Abstract: A conveyance robot system according to the present disclosure includes a conveyance robot, and a robot control unit configured to control an operation of picking up an object performed by the conveyance robot, wherein the robot control unit determines that a movable range area, which is an area outside a safety cover where a robot arm is operated, satisfies a safety ensuring condition that can regard safety of the movable range area as equivalent to the safety inside the safety cover and allow the robot arm to perform a work while projecting toward the shelf.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Fuminori Saito, Atsunori Kobayashi, Akihiro Kimura, Hidenori Yabushita, Fukashi Andoh, Yoshihiro Okumatsu, Takeshi Nishida, Akihito Goto, Reoto Uetake
  • Patent number: 11639192
    Abstract: A detection unit has a detection element for detecting a change of magnetic field according to a rotation of a magnet, and an angle calculator for calculating an angle signal according to a detected physical quantity detected by the detection element. Further, a storage stores a plurality of correction values for correcting detection error of the angle signal, and another storage stores a plurality of correction values for correcting detection error of the angle signal. An abnormality determiner determines abnormality of the correction values, an another abnormality determiner determines abnormality of the correction values. A control calculator performs a control calculation by using the angle signals corrected by using the correction value having been determined as normal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2023
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Toshihiro Fujita
  • Patent number: 11633853
    Abstract: Systems (100) and methods (900) for controlling movement of an articulating arm having a plurality of joints. The methods comprise: receiving, by the controller, a command to perform a task by the articulating arm; ranking movements of the joints based on how much each said joint needs to move at a first time in order to follow the command; selecting a first subset of joints with top-ranked movements from the plurality of joints, where the subset of joints comprises less than a total number of joints contained in the plurality of joints; and causing only the joints of the first subset to move during a first timeslot of a plurality of timeslots.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: EAGLE TECHNOLOGY, LLC
    Inventor: Paul M. Bosscher
  • Patent number: 11633857
    Abstract: There is provided a method for picking up an object from a bin to be implemented by a robotic arm including a controller and a picking-up module. The method includes: recognizing, by the controller, at least one object in the bin based on an image of an interior of the bin so as to determine a type of each object; determining, by the controller, a score for each object based on the type thereof; determining, by the controller, whether a greatest score among the score(s) of the at least one TBT object is greater than a predetermined value; and by the picking-up module, picking up one of the at least one TBT object that has the greatest score when it is determined that the greatest score is greater than the predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: SOLOMON TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Cheng-Lung Chen, Xuan Loc Nguyen, Tsung-Cheng Lai, Dowei Chiang, Ching-Lung Yu
  • Patent number: 11633859
    Abstract: A robot including a robot mechanism including joints and drive units, a control unit controlling the drive units so that an inspection operation to inspect one target drive unit among the drive units is executed by the robot mechanism, and a notification unit notifying maintenance information of the target drive unit based on a current value of a motor of the target drive unit during the inspection operation, or on information associated with the current value, and the inspection operation includes transmitting, to the motor of the target drive unit, control command to rotate a joint as much as a predetermined rotation angle, and thereby moving a tip of the robot mechanism or a tool at the tip, close to an object at a predetermined position from a predetermined start position, to press the object, and separating the tip of the robot mechanism or the tool away from the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kaname Kikuchi, Tomoyuki Motokado, Toshihiko Inoue
  • Patent number: 11634172
    Abstract: A steering device installed on a vehicle including a plurality of steerable wheels and configured to independently steer a wheel which is one of the plurality of steerable wheels, including: an electric motor as a drive source; a motion converting mechanism configured to convert a motion of the electric motor into a steering motion of the wheel; and a controller configured to control a supply current to the electric motor so as to achieve steering of the wheel corresponding to a motion position of the electric motor, wherein, to eliminate a discrepancy between the motion position of the electric motor and a steering position of the wheel detected based on the supply current to the electric motor supplied when the motion position of the electric motor is maintained at a straight-traveling-state position, the controller executes a reference change process of changing a setting of the straight-traveling-state position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Daisuke Nakata
  • Patent number: 11627857
    Abstract: A method of removing mites includes: acquiring a target path for mite removal and switching from a hibernation state to a crawling state upon receiving a mite removing instruction; in the crawling state, crawling according to the target path and performing mite removal during the crawling process; and after crawling to an end position of the target path, switching from the crawling state to the hibernation state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: BEIJING XIAOMI MOBILE SOFTWARE CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Zheng Xing, Yingchun Xie
  • Patent number: 11618400
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for monitoring a motorcycle. Based on the acceleration-relevant data, a vehicle motion and a vehicle position in three-dimensional space are estimated. The vehicle position in space is analyzed and is evaluated as a normal or a critical riding state. A detection direction of a sensor unit is predefined in such a way that in an upright normal resting position of the motorcycle the detection direction lies in a horizontal plane, and the detected acceleration-relevant data encompass a first acceleration component in a longitudinal vehicle direction and a second acceleration component in a transverse vehicle direction. A riding state evaluated as critical is plausibilized with the estimated vehicle motion in order to recognize a critical resting position after an accident. An emergency call is generated when a critical resting position after an accident is recognized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Alexander Skiera, Florian Mayer, Markus Henzler
  • Patent number: 11618170
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling a social robot includes providing a set of quantitative personality trait values, also called a “personality profile” to a decision engine of the social robot. The personality profile is derived from a character portrayal in a fictional work, dramatic performance, or by a real-life person (any one of these sometime referred to herein as a “source character”). The decision engine controls social responses of the social robot to environmental stimuli, based in part on the set of personality trait values. The social robot thereby behaves in a manner consistent with the personality profile for the profiled source character.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT INC.
    Inventors: Thomas Gewecke, Victoria L. Colf, Gregory I. Gewickey, Lewis S. Ostrover
  • Patent number: 11612306
    Abstract: [Problem] To prevent sight of an observation target from being lost from a visual field of a monitor. [Solution] A surgical arm system includes: an articulated arm in which a plurality of joints is rotatably connected by a plurality of links and which is capable of supporting an oblique-viewing endoscope at a tip; and a control system which controls the articulated arm to change a position and a posture of the oblique-viewing endoscope. The control system controls at least one of a rotation speed and a movement speed of the oblique-viewing endoscope in a visual field imaged through the oblique-viewing endoscope based on a position of the observation target in the visual field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yohei Kuroda, Jun Arai, Masaru Usui, Takeshi Maeda
  • Patent number: 11613013
    Abstract: A robot control device includes the following: a main control unit; a servo control unit, which receives a position command ?c from the main control unit; and a bending correction block (24), which corrects the bending of the reduction gear connected to the servo motor. The bending correction block (24) includes the following: a first position-correction-value calculation means (63), which finds a first position-command correction value ?sgc based on the position command ?c; and a second position-command-correction-value calculation means (64), which finds a second position-command correction value ?skc based on the interference torque ?a. The servo control unit drives the servo motor based on a new position command obtained by adding the first position-command correction value ?sgc and the second position-command correction value ?skc to the position command ?c.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Nakata, Hiroyoshi Ueda, Atsumi Hashimoto, Ryosuke Yamamoto, Yasuyoshi Honuchi
  • Patent number: 11613021
    Abstract: A robot system including a robot, a marker unit, a sensor, storage device, and a control device. The robot performs an operation with regard to a workpiece. The marker unit is attached to a measurement object and includes a base section and a plurality of markers attached to the base section. The sensor detects identification information and three-dimensional positions of the plurality of markers. The storage device stores teaching data including operation data and attachment position data indicating a correspondence relationship between the identification information of each of the markers and an attachment position of the corresponding marker. The control device calculates a three-dimensional position of the measurement object based on the three-dimensional positions of the plurality of markers and the attachment position data and controls the robot based on the three-dimensional position of the measurement object and the operation data so as to make the robot perform the operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shohei Mase, Jun Fujimori, Masao Takatori, Kenji Noguchi
  • Patent number: 11608080
    Abstract: Vehicle movement in an automatic driving operation is regulated in an automatic driving operation, which is switchable between a regular operating mode and an emergency operating mode when a functional impairment of a main control device is established. In the regular operating mode, the regular desired trajectory, the emergency operation desired trajectory, and the lane course of a driving lane driven along by the vehicle are continuously determined in a coordinate system, fixed to the vehicle, of the main control device. The determined emergency operation desired trajectory and the determined lane course are supplied to the ancillary control device and stored there. In the emergency operating mode, the lane course of the driving lane driven along by the vehicle is determined in a coordinate system, fixed to the vehicle, of the ancillary control device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: MERCEDES-BENZ GROUP AG
    Inventors: Volker Oltmann, Michael Decker
  • Patent number: 11608108
    Abstract: An automatic steering system comprises a controller. The controller executes target steering angle calculation processing. The controller further calculates a learning value of lateral acceleration. The learning value is calculated based on an error of a detected value of the lateral acceleration by an acceleration sensor and an estimation value of the lateral acceleration calculated using driving speed and yaw rate. In the target steering angle calculation processing, it is judged whether the acceleration sensor is normal. If it is judged that the acceleration sensor is normal, a target steering angle is calculated by using the detected value. Otherwise, the lateral acceleration used to calculate the target steering angle is switched from the detected value to a backup value of the lateral acceleration. The backup value is calculated using the estimation value and the learning value calculated before a timing at which the acceleration sensor is judged to be abnormal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shun Maruyama, Takahiro Kojo, Yoji Kunihiro
  • Patent number: 11602843
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a foot-waist coordinated gait planning method and an apparatus and a robot using the same. The method includes: obtaining an orientation of each foot of the legged robot, and calculating a positional compensation amount of each ankle of the legged robot based on the orientation of the foot; obtaining an orientation of a waist of the legged robot, and calculating a positional compensation amount of each hip of the legged robot based on the orientation of the waist; calculating a hip-ankle positional vector of the legged robot; compensating the hip-ankle positional vector based on the positional compensation amount of the ankle and the positional compensation amount of the hip to obtain the compensated hip-ankle positional vector; and performing an inverse kinematics analysis on the compensated hip-ankle positional vector to obtain joint angles of the legged robot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: UBTECH ROBOTICS CORP LTD
    Inventors: Jie Bai, Ligang Ge, Yizhang Liu, Hongge Wang, Jianxin Pang, Youjun Xiong
  • Patent number: 11603131
    Abstract: A control device includes a processor. The processor is configured to perform a route acquisition process for acquiring route information indicating a target route of a vehicle. The processor is configured to perform a behavior optimization process for correcting, based on at least one of a plurality of state quantities indicating a behavior of the vehicle during traveling, each of a left turning command value and a right turning command value such that the behavior of the vehicle becomes a target behavior. The processor is configured to perform a locus stabilization process for correcting, based on at least one of the state quantities indicating the behavior of the vehicle during traveling, a steering command value such that the vehicle travels on the target route.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: JTEKT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi Kojima, Yuji Kariatsumari