Patents Examined by Luis A Martinez Borrero
  • Patent number: 11117534
    Abstract: A system for adjusting at least one adjustable component (30, 32, 34, 36, 38) of a vehicle (10) is disclosed. The system may include an exterior sensor (44) configured to generate a signal indicative of an identity a user before the user enters the vehicle (10), and a controller (60) in communication with the exterior sensor (44) and an actuator (40) configured to adjust the at least one adjustable component (30, 32, 34, 36, 38). The controller (60) may be configured to automatically cause the actuator (40) to adjust the at least one adjustable component (30, 32, 34, 36, 38) responsive to the signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: Faraday&Future Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew Joseph Coburn, Nicholas William Dazé, Charles Edward Spencer
  • Patent number: 11118934
    Abstract: A method and system of route guidance for a vehicle alerts traffic restriction considering its towing status. The vehicle's towing status may be obtained either by automatically detecting a towed vehicle or manually setting such status by a user. When it is determined that the vehicle is towing another vehicle, traffic restriction information such as a speed limit and a dimension limit associated with each link in a route is obtained by accessing to a map database including such traffic restriction information. Based on the traffic restriction information, it is possible to provide the best route with a more correctly estimated time of arrival, while avoiding links which have dimension limits not suitable for the towing vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: Alpine Electronics, Inc.
    Inventor: Tetsu Ohba
  • Patent number: 11120642
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus relating to functional safety critical audio system for autonomous and industrial applications are described. In an embodiment, safety island logic circuitry transmits an enable signal to cause initiation of a functional safety test for an audio component in a vehicle. Audio processing logic circuitry receives the enable signal and causes activation of power amplifier logic circuitry, in response to the enable signal, to drive the audio component in accordance with an audio alert test signal. The audio component includes a Parametric Acoustic Array (PAA) transducer. Other embodiments are also disclosed and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: INTEL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jagannadha Rao Rapeta, Asad Azam, Amit Kumar Srivastava
  • Patent number: 11117567
    Abstract: The disclosure is directed to solving a full trajectory optimization problem in real-time for a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) such that future driving conditions and energy usage may be fully considered in determining optimal engine energy usage and battery energy usage in real-time during a trip. An electronic control unit of the HEV may be configured to: receive route information for a route to be driven by the HEV; and after receiving the route information, iterating the operations of: measuring a current state of charge (SOC) of the battery; using at least the measured SOC and an initial co-state value stored in a memory, performing a process to iteratively update the co-state value to obtain an updated co-state value; using at least the updated co-state value, computing an updated control value; and applying the updated control value to control a usage of the battery and the internal combustion engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignees: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., The Regents of the University of Michigan
    Inventors: Mike X. Huang, Yushi Shibaike, Shengqi Zhang, Di Chen, Anna G Stefanopoulou
  • Patent number: 11118930
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed toward systems and methods for an augmented reality transportation system. For example, the systems and methods described herein present an augmented reality environment for a driver or a passenger including augmented reality elements to mark specific locations within a display of real-world surroundings. Additionally, the systems and methods described herein analyze historical information to determine placements for augmented reality elements. The systems and methods also enable a user to share an augmented reality or virtual reality environment with another user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: LYFT, INC.
    Inventors: Ethan Duncan Eyler, Martin Conte MacDonell, Taggart Matthiesen, Jesse Jones McMillin, Robert Earl Rasmusson, Jr., Mark David Teater
  • Patent number: 11119477
    Abstract: Methods and systems for autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicle control relating to anomalies are disclosed. Anomalous conditions with a vehicle operating environment, such as ice patches or flooded roads, may be identified and categorized using autonomous vehicle operating data, and corrective actions to mitigate the impact of such anomalies may be taken. Corrective actions may include maneuvering the vehicle in the area of the anomaly or rerouting the vehicle around the area of the anomaly. A vehicle encountering an anomaly may further communicate an alert to warn other nearby vehicles, including non-autonomous vehicles. Such communication may be limited to anomalies of certain types or severity, and duplicative communications may be suppressed. Vehicles receiving such alerts may take corrective actions or present information regarding the anomaly for operator response.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: STATE FARM MUTUAL AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE COMPANY
    Inventors: Blake Konrardy, Scott T. Christensen, Gregory Hayward, Scott Farris
  • Patent number: 11117664
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes limiting functionality of a remote controlled device during a first period of time where a user of the remote controlled device is not authenticated, receiving, from a separate authentication device, identity information of the user of the remote controlled device and information of the remote controlled device via an authentication process, authenticating the user prior to allowing full functionality of the remote controlled device, sending an indication of the identity of the user to the remote controlled device; and in response to determining during the authenticating that the user is verified as a trainee for the remote controlled device, enabling a trainer/trainee setting that allows a trainer to provide control of the remote controlled device to the trainee without functionality of the remote controlled device being limited.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael A. Amisano, John F. Behnken, Jeb R. Linton, John Melchionne, David K. Wright
  • Patent number: 11119494
    Abstract: Controlling a vehicle according to a trained neural network model capable of being used to generate an output from which one or more vehicle operating variables can be estimated. The neural network model can be used to process, as input, aggregated data corresponding to operational and/or environmental characteristics experienced by the vehicle during at least a portion of a voyage. The aggregated data can include a range of values collected over a period of time when the vehicle is traversing the portion of the voyage. The output generated by the neural network model, based on processing the input, can be further processed in order to determine, for example, an estimated state of charge and/or an estimated remaining flight time for the vehicle. Such estimated values can thereafter be used by a controller of the vehicle to maintain course or maneuver to a charging station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: WING Aviation LLC
    Inventors: Kaiwen Gu, Matthew Nubbe
  • Patent number: 11117566
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for a hybrid electric vehicle. In one example, a method may include delaying an electric-only operation of the hybrid vehicle in response to a powertrain temperature being less than a threshold powertrain temperature and an electric-only range being less than a distance between a current location and a recharging location. The electric-only operation may be initiated in response to one or more of the powertrain temperature exceeding the threshold powertrain temperature and the electric-only range being equal to the distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ross Dykstra Pursifull, Thomas Leone
  • Patent number: 11119502
    Abstract: A vehicle control system includes a communication device, a sensor and a controller. The communication device is configured to receive information from at least one of a mobile application connected to the host vehicle and a local knowledge source. The sensor is configured to detect external conditions in a vicinity of the host vehicle equipped with the vehicle control system. The controller is programmed to detect a social place based on the information from at least one of the mobile application connected to the vehicle and the local knowledge source, to select a driving mode based on the social place that was detected, and to control the host vehicle based on the driving mode that was selected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventor: Melissa Cefkin
  • Patent number: 11097770
    Abstract: An electric power steering apparatus including a torque sensor to detect a steering torque and a motor control unit to control a motor that applies an assist torque to a steering system of a vehicle, including: a function to switch a control system of the motor between a torque control system to control a motor output torque and a position/speed control system to control a steering angle of a steering in accordance with a predetermined switching trigger. The fade processing time from the torque control system to the position/speed control system and the fade processing time from the position/speed control system to the torque control system are individually set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: NSK LTD.
    Inventors: Ryo Minaki, Takayoshi Sugawara, Hideki Sawada
  • Patent number: 11097897
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for managing movement of items from one container to another. The method includes receiving an identification, from a user, of a source container, the identification indicating that one or more items in the source container will be moved from the source container to a destination container on a first robot, the first robot being at a first position on a floor under the shelf. A second robot is also positioned on the floor under the shelf. Based on the identification, a system causes the first robot to move at least partially from the first position on the floor under the shelf to a second position which causes the destination container to be accessible to the user and receive a confirmation that the user has transferred a product from the source container to the destination container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: VECNA ROBOTICS, INC.
    Inventor: Daniel Theobald
  • Patent number: 10994741
    Abstract: The present teaching relates to method, system, medium, and implementation of human-like vehicle control for an autonomous vehicle. Information related to a target motion to be achieved by the autonomous vehicle is received, wherein the information includes a current vehicle state of the autonomous vehicle. A first vehicle control signal is generated with respect to the target motion and the given vehicle state in accordance with a vehicle kinematic model. A second vehicle control signal is generated in accordance with a human-like vehicle control model, with respect to the target motion, the given vehicle state, and the first vehicle control signal, wherein the second vehicle control signal modifies the first vehicle control signal to achieve human-like vehicle control behavior.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: PLUSAI LIMITED
    Inventors: Mianwei Zhou, Hao Zheng, David Wanqian Liu
  • Patent number: 10988136
    Abstract: The automatic parking apparatus includes: an image generation unit configured to generate an image of surroundings of an own vehicle photographed by a monitor device; a display unit; an input device configured to receive, a first touch input by the user for designating a parking place; a parking area calculation unit configured to determine whether a parking space for the own vehicle is available; a moving path calculation unit configured to determine at least one moving path candidate for guiding the own vehicle from a current location to a parking area, and to display the moving path candidate on the display unit; and a vehicle control processing unit configured to guide and control the own vehicle from the current location to the parking area in accordance with one moving path confirmed by the user operation from among the at least one moving path candidate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Yoichi Kato, Kenta Onishi, Masahiro Yata
  • Patent number: 10982961
    Abstract: This vehicle control system (1) is configured from a vehicle control device (2) installed in a vehicle and a server (40) connected to the vehicle control device (2) via a network. The server (40) is equipped with: a virtual lane generation section which generates virtual lane information relating to a virtual lane virtually set on a road on the basis of at least the travelling locus of another vehicle other than the vehicle; and a server communication section (42) which transmits, to the vehicle control device, the virtual lane information generated by the virtual lane generation section. The vehicle control device (2) is equipped with: a vehicle communication section (14) which receives the virtual lane information from the server (40); a target course generation section (28) which generates a target course of the vehicle on the basis of the virtual lane information; a vehicle control section (39) which causes the vehicle to move along the target course generated by the target track generation section (28).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignees: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD., CLARION CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Akio Sumizawa
  • Patent number: 10974810
    Abstract: Example apparatus and methods are disclosed herein for moving control surfaces on an aircraft wing to control airloads during a wing tip folding operation (from a folded position to an extended position or from an extended position to a folded position). An example method includes determining a position of a control surface on a wing of an aircraft. In the example method, the wing has a fixed wing portion and a wing tip moveably coupled to the fixed wing portion. The example method includes determining a change in the position of the control surface from a first position to second position for facilitating movement of the wing tip while the aircraft is not in flight. The example method also includes moving the control surface to the second position and moving the wing tip between an extended position and a folded position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Mark Steven Good, Jonathan J. Paul
  • Patent number: 10954711
    Abstract: A control device and method for a vehicle having an automatically opening and/or automatically closing flap includes an operating switch which can be operated contactlessly in the form of a proximity sensor and a programmable functional module. The method includes the following steps: firstly, an operating requirement signal is generated upon recognition of a predetermined proximity pattern consisting of the raw sensor signal of the proximity sensor for output of a resulting control signal to an unlocking and locking mechanism for the actual automatic opening or closing the valve, secondly, it is determined whether a predetermined absolute limit value of the raw sensor signal is exceeded, and thirdly, when the predetermined limiting value is exceeded, the output of the control signal is also suppressed when the operating requirement signal is generated, wherein this provision is also designated in short below as “suppression mode”.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Juergen Mayr, Michael Thomas, Florian Ammer
  • Patent number: 10940864
    Abstract: Control commands in a system and method for autonomously driving a vehicle or partially autonomously driving a vehicle are generated on the basis of an environment representation, which is generated from sensor signal of a sensing means. The environment representation where ambiguous objects are identified is such that information obtained from the driver of the vehicle are added. The system generates an information request. Additional information is extracted and accumulated in the environment representation map. Traffic is then determined and suitable control signals for the vehicles are generated. In case no ambiguous objects are included in the environment representation but the system is not capable of deciding on traffic, the driver is asked to disambiguate the situation or to instruct on dealing with the traffic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: HONDA RESEARCH INSTITUTE EUROPE GMBH
    Inventors: Martin Heckmann, Heiko Wersing
  • Patent number: 10940860
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes a recognizer 130 which recognizes a surrounding situation of a host vehicle and a driving controller 140 and 160 which executes driving control by controlling one or both of steering and acceleration/deceleration of the host vehicle on the basis of the surrounding situation recognized by the recognizer, wherein the driving controller assigns predetermined required tasks to an occupant of the host vehicle to execute the driving control when there is a gap of a threshold value or more between first speed information determined from at least one of a traveling speed of the host vehicle and a target speed and second speed information determined from at least one of a speed limit in a lane in which the host vehicle is traveling and a speed of a neighboring vehicle traveling around the host vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tadahiko Kanoh, Yuta Takada
  • Patent number: 10943494
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a flight instructing method and device as well as an aerial vehicle. The flight instructing method may comprise: obtaining meteorological information of a target flight region; determining a flight-limiting parameter candidate of an aerial vehicle in the target flight region according to the obtained meteorological information; and issuing a flight-limiting indication based on the determined flight-limiting parameter candidate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: SZ DJI TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Zelin Ou