Patents Examined by Long T Nguyen
  • Patent number: 11269342
    Abstract: A robot cleaner for avoiding a stuck situation using artificial intelligence includes a sensing unit configured to detect the stuck situation of the robot cleaner, a driving unit to drive the robot cleaner, and a processor configured to determine a rotation angle of the robot cleaner when the stuck situation is detected through the sensing unit, control the driving unit such that the robot cleaner rotates by the determined rotation angle, and control the driving unit such that the robot cleaner reverses by a certain distance after rotating by the rotation angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Kokeun Kim, Suyeon Kim, Kamin Lee, Minho Lee, Seungah Chae
  • Patent number: 11247341
    Abstract: A control apparatus includes a force sensation information acquiring unit for acquiring force sensation information representing a magnitude of at least one of a force and a torque at a distal end of a manipulator while a target item is being transported; a mass information acquiring unit for acquiring mass information representing a mass of the item; a plan information acquiring unit for acquiring plan information representing content of a plan of a trajectory; a force sensation estimating unit for estimating a magnitude of at least one of a force and a torque to be detected at the distal end of the manipulator; and a first detecting unit for detecting an abnormality, based on the magnitude of at least one of the force and the torque represented by the force sensation information and the magnitude of at least one of the force and the torque estimated by the estimating unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: MUJIN, Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshiki Kanemoto, Rosen Diankov
  • Patent number: 11244521
    Abstract: A method for determining vehicle component conditions via performance correlation is provided. A list of doors for maintenance on a transport vehicle is maintained. Measurements for one of the doors based on an inspection of that door are maintained. A determination is made as to whether maintenance is required for the door based on the measurements and a maintenance status is assigned to the door. The door measurements are compared to measurements for other doors of the transportation vehicle. Those other doors with measurements similar to the door are identified and the maintenance status of the door is assigned to the other doors identified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated
    Inventors: Anurag Ganguli, Rajinderjeet Singh Minhas, Johan de Kleer
  • Patent number: 11225294
    Abstract: An example implementation for determining mechanically-timed footsteps may involve a robot having a first foot in contact with a ground surface and a second foot not in contact with the ground surface. The robot may determine a position of its center of mass and center of mass velocity, and based on these, determine a capture point for the robot. The robot may also determine a threshold position for the capture point, where the threshold position is based on a target trajectory for the capture point after the second foot contacts the ground surface. The robot may determine that the capture point has reached this threshold position and based on this determination, and cause the second foot to contact the ground surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: Boston Dynamics, Inc.
    Inventor: Benjamin Stephens
  • Patent number: 11220005
    Abstract: An integrated intelligent system includes a first intelligent electronic device, a second intelligent electronic device, a transferable intelligent control device (TICD) and a cross product bus. The first intelligent electronic device performs a first function and the second intelligent electronic device performs a second function. The cross product bus couples the first intelligent electronic device to the transferable intelligent control device. The TICD partially controls behaviors of the intelligent electronic device by sending commands over the cross product bus to the first intelligent electronic device and the TICD partially controls behaviors of the second intelligent electronic device to perform the second function. The TICD is first attached to the first intelligent electronic device to partially control the behaviors of the first electronic device, then detached from the first electronic device, and then attached to the second intelligent electronic device to perform the second function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: iRobot Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Dooley, Nikolai Romanov, Paolo Pirjanian
  • Patent number: 11221629
    Abstract: A vacuum cleaner that can achieve efficient and accurate autonomous traveling. An obstacle detection part detects an object corresponding to an obstacle outside a main casing. A map generation part generates a map indicating information on an area having been traveled by the main casing, based on detection of the object by the obstacle detection part and a self-position estimated by a self-position estimation part during traveling of the main casing. A controller controls an operation of a driving wheel to make the main casing autonomously travel. The controller includes a traveling mode for controlling the operation of the driving wheel so as to make the main casing autonomously travel along a traveling route set based on the map. The controller determines whether or not to change the traveling route for next time based on the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection part during the traveling mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: TOSHIBA LIFESTYLE PRODUCTS & SERVICES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kota Watanabe, Hirokazu Izawa, Yuuki Marutani
  • Patent number: 11207781
    Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods to provide a method for calibrating a touchscreen coordinate system of a touchscreen with an industrial robot coordinate system of an industrial robot for industrial robot commissioning and industrial robot system and control system using the same. In one form the systems and methods include attaching an end effector to the industrial robot; (a) moving the industrial robot in a compliant way until a stylus of the end effector touches a point on the touchscreen; (b) recording a position of the stylus of the end effector in the industrial robot coordinate system when it touches the point of the touchscreen; (c) recording a position of the touch point on the touchscreen in the touchscreen coordinate system; and calculating a relation between the industrial robot coordinate system and the touchscreen coordinate system based on the at least three positions of the end effector stylus and the at least three positions of the touch points.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG
    Inventors: Hao Gu, Qingwei Li, Jinsong Li, Jihuan Tian, Liwei Qi, Jianjiang Wang
  • Patent number: 11192261
    Abstract: Example methods and devices for touch-down detection for a robotic device are described herein. In an example embodiment, a computing system may receive a force signal due to a force experienced at a limb of a robotic device. The system may receive an output signal from a sensor of the end component of the limb. Responsive to the received signals, the system may determine whether the force signal satisfies a first threshold and determine whether the output signal satisfies a second threshold. Based on at least one of the force signal satisfying the first threshold or the output signal satisfying the second threshold, the system of the robotic device may provide a touch-down output indicating touch-down of the end component of the limb with a portion of an environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Boston Dynamics, Inc.
    Inventors: Zachary Jackowski, Kevin Blankespoor, John Aaron Saunders, Francis M. Agresti
  • Patent number: 11186294
    Abstract: There is provided an in-vehicle timing controller, which includes a main input interface configured to receive input image data from an image processor, an input pin configured to receive a vehicle signal indicating a state of a vehicle from the vehicle, a sub image generator configured to generate sub image data based on the vehicle signal, and an image processing circuit configured to generate output image data to be displayed on a display panel based on at least one of the input image data and the sub image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: ROHM CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hiroharu Endo
  • Patent number: 11181377
    Abstract: A travel direction estimation device mounted on a vehicle including a position detector and an angular velocity detector to estimate a travel direction of the vehicle includes: a first angle processor calculating a first angle based on a change of a position of the vehicle being detected in the position detector and updated at a predetermined time interval, a second angle processor calculating a second angle based on a rotational angular velocity of the vehicle being detected in the angular velocity detector and a detection interval of the position of the vehicle in the position detector, and a travel direction processor calculating the travel direction of the vehicle based on the first angle and the second angle. The travel direction estimation device can estimate a travel direction of a vehicle with a high degree of accuracy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroaki Kitano, Yukiyasu Akemi, Masaya Endo, Kazuo Hitosugi
  • Patent number: 11155367
    Abstract: Provided is a single-axis pointing pure magnetic control algorithm for a spacecraft based on geometrical analysis to realize single-axis pointing control of the spacecraft through the pure magnetic control algorithm in which a magnetic torque is only output by a magnetorquer to interact with a geomagnetic field to generate a control torque. The algorithm uses a spatial geometry method to obtain an optimally controlled magnetic torque direction, thereby designing a PD controller. The problem that the traditional magnetic control method is low in efficiency and even cannot be controlled is overcome. The algorithm is simple and easy, can be used in the attitude control field of spacecrafts, and achieves the pointing control in point-to-sun of a solar array and point-to-ground of antennae.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: AEROSPACE DONGFANGHONG DEVELOPMENT LTD
    Inventors: Yimin Kou, Bibo Guo, Lijun Xue, Shilong Wei, Yanbo Ji, Qin Yuan, Yingchun Zhang
  • Patent number: 11131614
    Abstract: An autonomous terrestrial compaction testing vehicle includes a compaction density meter coupled to the vehicle and a controller. The controller is communicatively connected to the compaction density meter and to a controller of a compactor machine that is compacting or has compacted an area of terrain. The controller is configured to autonomously control movement of the vehicle over the compacted area and control the compaction density meter to take a plurality of compaction density measurements at a plurality of locations of the compacted area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: Caterpillar Paving Products Inc.
    Inventor: Timothy M. O'Donnell
  • Patent number: 11125470
    Abstract: A self-propelled robot that self-travels on a structure having a flat surface to perform a cleaning operation, the self-propelled robot includes a robot main body (2), a controller (30) that controls movement of the moving unit in a forward direction and a rearward direction, an operation unit (12a) that is controlled by the controller, and a pair of detection units that are first and second detection units, each of which functioning to detect if there is the flat surface of the structure beneath the detection unit. Wherein, seen from a top view of the robot, the first detection unit and the second detection unit (31a, 31b, 31c, 31d) are both arranged at the front end of the robot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: MIRAIKIKAI, INC.
    Inventors: Tohru Miyake, Kazuo Morita, Hideto Matsuuchi
  • Patent number: 11127297
    Abstract: Cross traffic alert system for a host vehicle engaged in a forward or reverse gear position, includes an object detection sensor configured to detect relative positions of a plurality of target objects present in a coverage zone proximate the vehicle, and a processor for receiving the target positional data, detecting established environmental states based on the received data, and classifying a driving environment (e.g., road, parking lot, etc.) based on the detection or not of established environmental states. Threshold alert areas are dynamically adjustable in the coverage zones based on the classified driving environment, where indications of targets in the alert areas may be generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: VEONEER US, INC.
    Inventors: Juan Roca, Shan Cong
  • Patent number: 11116590
    Abstract: A system comprises an arm including a bendable section and a force transmission mechanism. The system also comprises an actuation mechanism coupled to the force transmission mechanism to bend the bendable section. The system also comprises an electronic data processor configured to receive sensor data about the bendable section and determine external force information about at least one of a magnitude or a direction of an external force applied to the arm from the sensor data. the processor is also configured to determine a pose of the bendable section from the sensor data and generate control information for the actuation mechanism to maintain the pose of the bendable section in a stationary configuration as the external force is applied to or withdrawn from the arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: INTUITIVE SURGICAL OPERATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: David Q. Larkin, Vincent Duindam
  • Patent number: 11110919
    Abstract: A cruise control method of a mild hybrid electric vehicle may include determining whether a cruise mode is operated according to an output signal of a user interface device by a controller; determining whether a vehicle speed increasing signal is output from the user interface device by the controller; determining a compensation torque depending on difference of a predetermined target speed and the current speed of the mild hybrid electric vehicle according to the vehicle speed increasing signal by the controller; and controlling the operation of the MHSG by the controller to output the determined compensation torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Corporation
    Inventor: Hwa Yong Jang
  • Patent number: 11104328
    Abstract: A parking control method is provided for executing a control instruction to move a vehicle along a parking route on the basis of an operation command acquired from an operator located outside the vehicle. This method includes detecting movement of the operator; calculating an anxiety level of the operator from the movement of the operator; and when the anxiety level is less than a predetermined threshold, parking the vehicle in accordance with a first control instruction that is preliminarily set in the control instruction, while when the anxiety level is not less than the predetermined threshold, calculating a second control instruction obtained by limiting a control range of the first control instruction, and parking the vehicle in accordance with the second control instruction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Suzuki, Yasuhisa Hayakawa
  • Patent number: 11090804
    Abstract: A displaying apparatus includes a virtual environment screen displaying a state of a robot identified, and a parameter setting screen numerically displaying the position and orientation data. When a changing a part of the position and orientation data are performed through the operating input unit, the part of the position and orientation data is changed according to the content of the operation and input. Position and orientation is calculated to identify the position or orientation of each part of the robot, based on the changed part of the position and orientation data, and new position and orientation data is calculated based on the position and orientation calculation. The content of virtual display on the virtual environment screen or numeric value display on the parameter setting screen of the displaying apparatus is updated, based on the changed part of position and orientation data, and the new position and orientation data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Satoshi Sugaya
  • Patent number: 11086336
    Abstract: Embodiments herein describe a controller for a machine that wirelessly transmits a destination address to a robot which is tasked with transporting an item to the destination corresponding to the received address. Using the address, the robot can select a predefined path stored in its memory for that address. Because multiple robots can move items in the machine at the same time, the robots may collide if their predefined paths intersect. The machine can use a variety of different techniques to prevent collisions between the robots as the robots deliver items to different locations along their predefined paths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Josephine Ammer Bolotski, Emilia S. Buneci, Sachin Rajendra Kothari, Unnikrishnan Vadakkanmaruveedu
  • Patent number: 11084167
    Abstract: A computing system may provide a model of a robot. The model may be configured to determine simulated motions of the robot based on sets of control parameters. The computing system may also operate the model with multiple sets of control parameters to simulate respective motions of the robot. The computing system may further determine respective scores for each respective simulated motion of the robot, wherein the respective scores are based on constraints associated with each limb of the robot and a predetermined goal. The constraints include actuator constraints and joint constraints for limbs of the robot. Additionally, the computing system may select, based on the respective scores, a set of control parameters associated with a particular score. Further, the computing system may modify a behavior of the robot based on the selected set of control parameters to perform a coordinated exertion of forces by actuators of the robot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: Boston Dynamics, Inc.
    Inventors: Marco da Silva, Benjamin Stephens, Alfred Anthony Rizzi, Yeuhi Abe