Patents Examined by Michael Berns
  • Patent number: 10654564
    Abstract: An aircraft assembly having a first region, a second region spaced from the first region by a flexible region, and a deflection sensor. The first region has greater positional stability than the second region such that the second region deflects further from its default position than the first region during in-use loads. The deflection sensor includes a first gyroscope at the first region to generate a first signal representing rotation of the first region about one or more orthogonal axes, and a second gyroscope at the second region to generate a second signal representing rotation of the second region about the one or more axes. The second gyroscope is synchronised in time with the first. A controller subtracts one of the first and second signals from the other to obtain a differential signal representing deflection of the second region relative to the first due to flexing of the flexible region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: Safran Landing Systems UK LTD
    Inventors: Valerijan Cokonaj, Laura Collett
  • Patent number: 10659530
    Abstract: Embodiment includes of a method and a system of network based operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle is disclosed. One system includes a drone user machine, a drone control machine, and a drone control console. The drone control machine is interfaced with the drone user machine through a network, and the drone control machine is interfaced with a drone through the drone control console. The drone control machine operates to receive user commands from the drone user machine through the network, generate drone control commands which are provided to the drone control console for controlling the drone, wherein the drone control commands are generated based on the user commands, receive video from the drone control console that was generated by a camera located on the drone, and communicate the video to the drone user machine over the network, wherein the video is displayed on a display associated with the drone user machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: CAPE MCUAS, INC.
    Inventors: Gabriel Charalambides, Richard Stephen Pasetto, Thomas Finsterbusch, Andrej Finsterbusch, John David Stockford, Alexander Loo, Anthony Rizk
  • Patent number: 10625728
    Abstract: A method for managing a vehicle brake system includes collecting sensor data from one or more sensors in or around the vehicle, calculating brake effectiveness values based on the sensor data, calibrating the brake effectiveness values based on environmental context data associated with the vehicle, accumulating the calibrated brake effectiveness values as a dataset, generating a prediction curve or formula based the dataset, and scheduling a maintenance alarm for the brake system based on the brake effectiveness values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Hao Chen, Ya Bin Dang, Qi Cheng Li, Jian Wang
  • Patent number: 10619730
    Abstract: A method for obtaining gear shifting of a vehicle, where the vehicle has a planetary gearing in the drive train, a combustion engine with an output shaft connected to a rotor of a second electric machine and to a first component of the planetary gearing, a first electric machine with a rotor connected to a third component of the planetary gearing and an input shaft of a gearbox connected to a second component of the planetary gearing. The method is started with the components of the planetary gearing interlocked by a locking means, in which they are released during the gear shifting and interlocked again after the gear shifting has been carried out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: Scania CV AB
    Inventors: Johan Lindström, Mathias Björkman, Mikael Bergquist, Niklas Pettersson
  • Patent number: 10621861
    Abstract: A method for creating a lane-accurate occupancy grid map for lanes. In at least one mobile device, an environment is sensed by a camera and evaluated by an evaluating unit. The evaluating unit defines a section in the environment and determines a lane in the section. Objects in the environment or in the section are also detected and classified by the evaluating unit. The object information, section information, time information, and the lane information are transmitted to a map-creating device, which creates a lane-accurate occupancy grid map for the lane therefrom. The lane-accurate occupancy grid map can be transmitted back to the mobile device. Also disclosed is an associated system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: VOLKSWAGEN AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Andreas Titze, Stefan Ortmann
  • Patent number: 10611369
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for detecting collisions between objects and an autonomous vehicle. The system includes a computer vision system configured to use acquired environmental data to determine a velocity vector of an object relative to the autonomous vehicle and a distance between the object and the autonomous vehicle. The autonomous driving system also includes a vehicle motion sensing module configured to use acquired vehicle motion data to determine an acceleration vector of the autonomous vehicle. The autonomous driving system also includes a collision detection module configured to register a collision between the object and the autonomous vehicle when the determined acceleration vector is detected having a direction that is substantially the same as a direction of the determined velocity vector of the object and when the determined distance between the object and the autonomous vehicle is less than a predetermined amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Christopher Cinpinski, Stephen W. Erskine, Zhe Xie
  • Patent number: 10611349
    Abstract: A vehicular collision avoidance control device includes: a collision avoidance control unit that receives a vehicle deceleration rate that is an actual deceleration rate of a traveling vehicle and obtains a first desired deceleration rate for avoiding collision with an obstacle based on the received vehicle deceleration rate, a relative distance to the obstacle, and a target relative distance; and a brake control unit that obtains a desired deceleration rate for controlling a brake device by performing first control based on the received vehicle deceleration rate and the first desired deceleration rate and performing second control based on the first desired deceleration rate and stops the first control upon detection of a brake operation performed by a driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignees: ADVICS CO., LTD., TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yusuke Nakagawa, Yosuke Ohmori, Wataru Ike
  • Patent number: 10611495
    Abstract: A method for measuring sea state includes scanning an area of a waterborne moving object over a period of time using at least one sensor to obtain point cloud data of the moving object. The area of the moving object is identified based on the point cloud data. Changes in movement of the area of the moving object are characterized over the period of time based on the point cloud data to calculate a state of the moving object. Sea state is estimated based on the state of the moving object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: William McNeill, Brigid Blakeslee
  • Patent number: 10611260
    Abstract: A drive force control system that ensures a running stability and a driving performance of a vehicle even in the event of failure of one of motors. The drive force control system determines that one of the right motor and the left motor cannot generate a required torque due to failure. In the event of failure of any one of the motors, the drive force control system generates a torque by the other motor working properly, and controls the torque transmitting capacity of the clutch in such a manner as to deliver the output torque of the motor working properly to the wheel coupled to the faulty motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takanobu Nasu, Hiroshi Isono
  • Patent number: 10565732
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices are provided for controlling a movable object using multiple sensors. In one aspect, a method for calibrating one or more extrinsic parameters of a movable object having a plurality of sensors in an initial configuration is provided. The method can comprise: detecting that the initial configuration of the plurality of sensors has been modified; receiving inertial data from at least one inertial sensor during operation of the movable object; receiving image data from at least two image sensors during the operation of the movable object; and estimating the one or more extrinsic parameters based on the inertial data and the image data in response to detecting that the initial configuration has been modified, wherein the one or more extrinsic parameters comprise spatial relationships between the plurality of sensors in the modified configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignees: SZ DJI TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., THE HONG KONG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Kaiyong Zhao, Shaojie Shen, Yi Lin, Tianbo Liu, Yonggen Ling, Zhenfei Yang
  • Patent number: 10562412
    Abstract: An ISS is a seating system that actively adjusts to improve an occupant's comfort, performance, and safety in a specific driving environment. The ISS determines the occupant's posture, position on the seat surface, and/or physiological state, for example, by applying a machine vision process. The ISS can further determine a driving environment. The ISS adjusts its settings and settings of the vehicle according to one or more factors such as an occupant's posture, the occupant's physiological state, the occupant's preferences, and/or the driving environment. The ISS can include a state machine that determines a current state and determines if a change has occurred such that the system should shift to another state that best suits this change. The ISS makes adjustment according to system settings associated with the best suitable state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: XSENSOR TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ian Main, Melissa Elizabeth Remus Jones
  • Patent number: 10567497
    Abstract: The disclosed embodiments include methods, apparatuses and systems for network based operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle. One apparatus includes a controller. The controller is operative to receive a request for change in a camera view of a camera of a drone from a tele-operator, generate positioning of a reticle of a display of the tele-operator based on the received request for change in the camera view, and generate a camera attitude control based on the received request for change in the camera view, wherein the camera attitude control provides orientation control of the camera of the drone, wherein the positioning control of the reticle is more responsive than the orientation control of the camera.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: CAPE MCUAS, INC.
    Inventors: Gabriel Charalambides, Richard Stephen Pasetto, John David Stockford, Louis Gresham, Thomas Finsterbusch, Alexandre El Assad
  • Patent number: 10556584
    Abstract: A system includes a processor and a memory. The memory stores instructions executable by the processor to detect water on a ground surface, actuate a vehicle exterior light to illuminate a grid pattern on the ground surface, detect a depression at a location of the detected water based on received reflections of the grid pattern, and move a vehicle based on the detected depression.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Oswaldo Perez Barrera, David Franco Lopez Rubio, Rodrigo Frieventh C, Humberto Morales
  • Patent number: 10551848
    Abstract: A control apparatus of a work vehicle includes a course data acquisition unit acquiring course data indicating a traveling condition of a work vehicle that includes a travel route, a travel range data acquisition unit acquiring travel range data indicating a travel range of the work vehicle that is defined with a preset travel width based on the travel route, a detection data acquisition unit acquiring detection data of a detection device that has detected a travel direction of the work vehicle, a prediction unit predicting, based on the detection data, a prescribed position distant from a current position of the work vehicle traveling according to the course data, a determination unit determining whether the prescribed position exists within the travel range, and a drive control unit stopping traveling of the work vehicle when it is determined that the prescribed position does not exist within the travel range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: KOMATSU LTD.
    Inventors: Masanori Ogihara, Ryuu Yamamura
  • Patent number: 10538246
    Abstract: A drive torque control device of a vehicle that includes a drive source for generating a drive source torque, a brake mechanism for generating a braking torque, and a drive wheel for driving the vehicle. The drive torque control device includes a target drive wheel torque calculator configured to calculate a target drive wheel torque, a drive source torque control unit configured to estimate a drive source torque limit value, calculate a target drive source torque based on the target drive wheel torque and the drive source torque limit value, and control the generation of the drive source torque by the drive source based on the target drive source torque, and a braking torque control unit configured to calculate a target braking torque based on the target drive wheel torque and the target drive source torque, and control the generation of the braking torque by the brake mechanism based on the target braking torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Katsuhiro Arai
  • Patent number: 10514697
    Abstract: Systems and method are provided for controlling a vehicle. In one embodiment, a method includes calculating, via a router of a vehicle system that accesses road map data, at least one route to a destination based on the road map data, thereby producing route solution data. The vehicle system enters a remote assistance mode in response to remote assistance decision data received from a blockage arbiter of the vehicle system. In the remote assistance mode, the method includes determining, via the router, at least one road segment of the road map data that is permitted to be blacklisted, thereby producing permitted blacklist data. The method includes transmitting the permitted blacklist data and the route solution data, via a vehicle communications module of the vehicle system, to a remote vehicle assistance system. The method includes updating, via the router, the road map data to exclude at least one blacklisted road segment defined by the permitted blacklist data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2019
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Matthias Wisniowski, Drew Gross, Solomon Bier, Ian Rust
  • Patent number: 10507828
    Abstract: A setting unit of a safety-device activation timing controlling apparatus sets a first timing upon it being determined that a driver's collision avoidance operation in a longitudinal direction has been carried out. The first timing is later than a reference timing for activating the safety device. The setting unit sets a second timing upon it being determined that a driver's collision avoidance operation in the lateral direction has been carried out. The second timing is later than the reference timing. Upon it being determined that at least one of the driver's collision avoidance operation in the longitudinal direction of the own vehicle and the driver's collision avoidance operation in the lateral direction of the own vehicle has been carried out, an activation determining unit determines whether to activate the safety device in accordance with a corresponding at least one of the first timing and the second timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akitoshi Minemura, Yosuke Ito, Wataru Ike, Kazuki Nemoto
  • Patent number: 10496090
    Abstract: A control system that is operable to control a vehicle in an autonomous or semi-autonomous mode includes a processor that processes data captured by a plurality of exterior sensing sensors. When the control system is operating in the autonomous or semi-autonomous mode and responsive to a determination of an upcoming event that requires the system to hand over control of the vehicle to a driver before the vehicle encounters the event, the control determines (i) a total action time until the vehicle encounters the event, (ii) an estimated time for the driver to take over control and (iii) an estimated handling time for the vehicle to be controlled before the vehicle encounters the event. Responsive to the determinations, the control system (i) allows the driver to take over control of the vehicle or (ii) controls the vehicle to slow down and stop the vehicle before the vehicle encounters the event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: MAGNA ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Ralph Latotzki, Frank Goseberg
  • Patent number: 10471946
    Abstract: A method of applying an automated parking brake of a motor vehicle includes at least two phases. In a first preceding phase, no clamping force is produced by the parking brake. In a second following phase, a clamping force is produced by the parking brake via a controllable parking brake actuator configured to produce the clamping force. The method further includes detecting a transition from the first phase to the second phase based on a temporal progression of a specific parameter of a control of the parking brake actuator. A control unit is configured to perform according to the method, and a parking brake is configured to perform according to the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Frank Baehrle-Miller, Dieter Blattert, Tobias Putzer
  • Patent number: 10475257
    Abstract: A telematics platform including a telematics service and a telematics device interfacing with an on-board electronic system of a vehicle, performs a compatibility workflow with respect to the vehicle-telematics device compatibility and data accuracy. The compatibility workflow may include multiple phases in which telematics data is assessed for compatibility or inaccuracies based on pre-established compatibility data obtained from a population of other vehicle-telematic device interactions, user-reported compatibility data, and vehicle-specific compatibility data. Incompatibility or inaccuracies in telematics data may be used to activate/deactivate or continue/discontinue interactions between the vehicle and the telematics device, and to inform users of the incompatibility of the vehicle-telematics device pair, or inaccuracies in the telematics data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: MOJ.IO, Inc.
    Inventors: Narayan Sainaney, Philip Fu