Patents Examined by Michael D Lang
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Patent number: 10509127Abstract: A method for controlling a first sensor configured to sense an environment through which a vehicle is moving includes receiving sensor data generated by one or more sensors of the vehicle as the vehicle moves through the environment, identifying, by one or more processors and based on at least a portion of the received sensor data, one or more road portions along which the vehicle is expected to travel, and determining, by one or more processors, a configuration of the identified road portions, at least in part by determining a slope of at least one of the identified road portions. The method also includes determining, by one or more processors analyzing at least the determined configuration, an elevation of a field of regard of the first sensor that satisfies one or more visibility criteria, and causing the first sensor to be adjusted in accordance with the determined elevation.Type: GrantFiled: October 31, 2018Date of Patent: December 17, 2019Assignee: Luminar Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Benjamin Englard, Eric C. Danziger, Joseph Augenbraun, Austin K. Russell
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Patent number: 10486736Abstract: [Problem] An object of the present invention is to provide a motor control unit that driving-controls a motor having the dual-system windings, even in a case that one driving control system is an abnormality (including a failure), turns-ON of one common reverse-connection protection-FET by a driving signal of the other normal driving control system, and achieves a miniaturization and a reduction in costs, an electric power steering apparatus that is equipped with the motor control unit, and a vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: May 23, 2017Date of Patent: November 26, 2019Assignee: NSK LTD.Inventors: Kyosho Uryu, Shin Kumagai
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Patent number: 10485164Abstract: A system and method for monitoring and controlling operation of an autonomous robot. In one aspect, the autonomous robot is a lawnmower and the system comprises: an autonomous robot lawnmower comprising a housing, a transceiver, and a central processing unit; an external device in operable communication with the autonomous robot lawnmower, the external device having a transceiver for sending signals to the autonomous robot lawnmower and a display; and wherein in response to user input, the external device is configured to modify settings related to operation of the autonomous robot lawnmower.Type: GrantFiled: November 6, 2015Date of Patent: November 26, 2019Inventor: Michael Todd Letsky
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Patent number: 10464604Abstract: Each of a plurality of autonomous driving vehicles configuring an autonomous driving system executes lane selection determination processing of acquiring information concerning an empty space situation in an adjacent lane that is adjacent to a lane where an own vehicle is traveling, and determining whether or not to select the adjacent lane as an own vehicle travel lane in accordance with an empty space situation in the adjacent lane. When the adjacent lane is selected as the own vehicle travel lane by the lane selection determination processing, lane change to the adjacent lane is performed autonomously, or lane change to the adjacent lane is proposed to a driver. The autonomous driving system gives variation to an execution interval of the lane selection determination processing among the plurality of autonomous driving vehicles.Type: GrantFiled: August 1, 2017Date of Patent: November 5, 2019Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Ryuta Hashimoto, Yoshinori Watanabe, Kenichiro Aoki, Tomoyuki Kuriyama
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Patent number: 10450789Abstract: A vehicle operation detecting device includes: a plurality of sensors that are arranged side by side in a vehicle and individually output a plurality of detection signals changing as a detection target touches or approaches the sensors; a peak position detector that detects a plurality of peak positions of the plurality of detection signals; an operation direction detector that detects a moving direction of the detection target in an arrangement direction of the plurality of sensors, based on an order of the plurality of peak positions; and a driving controller that controls a driving of an opening/closing member according to the detected moving direction.Type: GrantFiled: February 8, 2017Date of Patent: October 22, 2019Assignee: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Hitoshi Takayanagi
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Patent number: 10446037Abstract: 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. In particular, a method may include receiving, from a user device, a ride request to transport a user to a destination from an origin location through an autonomous vehicle system service. Based on the origin location associated with the request, an autonomous vehicle system may be selected from a fleet of autonomous vehicles to execute the ride request. The fleet may be managed by the autonomous vehicle system service. The ride request may then be provided to the autonomous vehicle system, and information about the autonomous vehicle system may also be provided to the user device.Type: GrantFiled: August 1, 2017Date of Patent: October 15, 2019Assignee: Zoox, Inc.Inventors: Timothy David Kentley-Klay, Rachad Youssef Gamara, Gary Linscott
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Patent number: 10446029Abstract: A method and device of a parking system includes, for example, a computer program configured for operating a parking lot, including the steps of ascertaining a route to a target position in the parking lot for autonomous travel of a vehicle in the parking lot to the target position, and blocking at least one section of the route to other vehicles before the vehicle travels through the section, so that the vehicle is able to drive autonomously through the blocked-off section of the route.Type: GrantFiled: September 29, 2015Date of Patent: October 15, 2019Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbHInventors: Stefan Hoffmann, Rolf Nicodemus, Stefan Nordbruch
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Patent number: 10433646Abstract: A method and system for temperature control of a microclimate device are disclosed. The temperature control can be integrated into a reservation system for the microclimate device. A user interface can receive a user input of a temperature control setting. The user interface can be integrated into the microclimate device. A processor can receive the user input and control a heating and/or cooling device to execute the temperature control setting.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 2017Date of Patent: October 8, 2019Assignee: Steelcaase Inc.Inventors: Ryan Schmidt, Caroline Kelly, Mark McKenna, Christopher Norman, Rob Scheper, Timothy Swieter
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Patent number: 10437250Abstract: A method for operating a vehicle, whereby the vehicle, parked at a parking position in a parking facility, is guided autonomously from the parking position to a loading station and parked autonomously at the loading station, so that the vehicle can be loaded at the loading station. Also described is a related vehicle and computer program.Type: GrantFiled: January 22, 2016Date of Patent: October 8, 2019Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbHInventors: Holger Mielenz, Stefan Nordbruch
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Patent number: 10423161Abstract: A predicted course estimating apparatus for estimating a predicted course of the own vehicle, includes: a data acquiring means for acquiring turning data that indicates a turning direction of the own vehicle; a filtering means for removing a high-frequency component that is included in the turning data; a course predicting means for calculating an estimated value for course prediction of the own vehicle, based on the turning data that has been filtered and a speed of the own vehicle; a determining means for determining whether the own vehicle is traveling a part of a road where the shape changes; and a characteristics changing means for changing the extent of removing of the high-frequency component by the filtering means when it is determined that the own vehicle is traveling a part of the road where the shape changes.Type: GrantFiled: October 13, 2015Date of Patent: September 24, 2019Assignees: DENSO CORPORATION, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Taku Sakima, Youhei Masui, Toyoharu Katsukura, Takeshi Nanami, Takashi Nishida
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Patent number: 10414362Abstract: Systems and methods for human scanning for interior preference setup are disclosed. An example disclosed vehicle includes a target lamp on a side view mirror of the vehicle. The example vehicle also includes a scanning module. Additionally, the example vehicle includes an active scanning system configured to instruct the target lamp to project a position indicator a known distance from the vehicle, determine a joint structure based on an image of a person standing at the position indicator received from the scanning module, and adjust interior preference settings based on the detected joint structure.Type: GrantFiled: July 17, 2017Date of Patent: September 17, 2019Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Jesus Alejandro Pena Casimiro, Jorge Guillermo Barrios Albert
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Patent number: 10414361Abstract: Systems and methods for human scanning for interior preference setup are disclosed. An example disclosed vehicle includes a target lamp on a side view mirror of the vehicle. The example vehicle also includes a scanning module. Additionally, the example vehicle includes an active scanning system configured to instruct the target lamp to project a position indicator a known distance from the vehicle, determine a joint structure based on an image of a person standing at the position indicator received from the scanning module, and adjust interior preference settings based on the detected joint structure.Type: GrantFiled: July 17, 2017Date of Patent: September 17, 2019Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Jesus Alejandro Pena Casimiro, Jorge Guillermo Barrios Albert
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Patent number: 10399400Abstract: Autonomous craft capable of extended duration operations as lighter-than-air craft, having the ability to alight on the surface of a body of water and generate hydrogen gas for lift via electrolysis using power derived from a photovoltaic system, as well as methods of launching an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) having a deployable envelope from a surface of a body of water.Type: GrantFiled: August 2, 2017Date of Patent: September 3, 2019Assignee: The Boeing CompanyInventors: Scott Hartshorn, Keith Daniel Humfeld
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Patent number: 10399563Abstract: A driving support apparatus according the embodiment includes: a determination unit that determines driving support control having a driving support resource amount that is capable of assuring required resources with respect to a resource amount that is capable of being assured by a level of a vehicle driver's concentration on driving, the required resources being assumed to be required for safe driving; and a driving support unit that changes the driving support control to be performed to driving support control that is determined by the determination unit to be capable of assuring the required resources.Type: GrantFiled: December 24, 2015Date of Patent: September 3, 2019Assignee: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Wataru Nogimori
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Patent number: 10401857Abstract: A method and system operable to perform the method is provided for control of an autonomous or unmanned system. The method includes obtaining a mission model, wherein the mission model comprises a goal and one or more assets that are used to accomplish the goal; producing, by a first hardware processor, a plan goal graph (PGG) model based on the mission model; transforming, by a second hardware processor, the PGG model into a Bayesian Network (BN) model; computing a feasibility to execute a plan and an achievability of accomplishing the goal; and providing control instructions to the one or more assets to be used to accomplish the goal.Type: GrantFiled: June 27, 2017Date of Patent: September 3, 2019Assignee: THE BOEING COMPANYInventors: Guijun Wang, Changzhou Wang
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Patent number: 10394242Abstract: An autonomous navigation system and method for a maneuverable platform are provided herein. The method may include: obtaining a plurality of objectives relating to a maneuverable platform; determining a plurality of options of direction and speed for the platform; autonomously selecting, one option of the plurality of options, in order to achieve said objectives, by calculating a weighted grade of each option based on the weights of the objectives and said grading scheme; and periodically repeating: the receiving with updated platform and obstacles data and the autonomously selecting with the updated platform and obstacles data, wherein the autonomously selecting is executed by a computer processor and includes, for each obstacle, calculating projected positions of the platform and of that obstacle to determine the distance between the platform and the obstacle at the closest point of approach and estimated time to arrive to the closest point of approach.Type: GrantFiled: December 17, 2013Date of Patent: August 27, 2019Assignee: ELBIT SYSTEMS LTD.Inventors: Yam Myriam Kaspi, Gilad Steiner, Inon Ben Zur
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Patent number: 10386194Abstract: A route-biased search in a mobile navigation system locates points of interest (POI) on or convenient to a mobile user's current travel. The route-biased search operates in two modes, navigation and non-navigation. The navigation mode identifies the most convenient POIs that honor the mobile user's route to their destination. The non-navigation mode identifies the most convenient POIs that are located ahead of the user based on the user's inferred direction of travel. The route-biased search determines the best possible routes to the identified POIs taking into account the impact of the detour costs of traveling to the POI along with other ranking factors.Type: GrantFiled: October 20, 2016Date of Patent: August 20, 2019Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Philomena F. Lobo, Saurabh V. Pendse, Dennis Schieferdecker, Daniel R. Delling
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Patent number: 10372133Abstract: [Object] To provide a control device that can make more efficient an inspection performed by a flying body capable of performing imaging. [Solution] Provided is a control device including an acquisition unit configured to acquire information related to an overview of a structure, and a flight information generating unit configured to generate flight information of a flying body being caused to fly over a periphery of the structure to image the structure on the basis of the information acquired by the acquisition unit. The control device generates information used to cause the flying body to image the structure, and thereby makes it possible to make more efficient the inspection performed by the flying body capable of performing imaging.Type: GrantFiled: April 2, 2015Date of Patent: August 6, 2019Assignee: SONY CORPORATIONInventors: Kayoko Tanaka, Kohtaro Sabe, Miki Shibuya, Tsutomu Sawada, Satoru Shimizu, Kousuke Suzuki, Haruto Takeda, Peter Duerr, Masaomi Nabeta, Takekazu Kakinuma, Hironari Mizumura
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Patent number: 10363936Abstract: Vehicle control apparatus and method are disclosed. A method for controlling a vehicle control apparatus includes: measuring a vehicle speed to measure a first vehicle speed and a second vehicle speed of a vehicle, calculating an error rate to calculate an error rate of a vehicle speed using the first vehicle speed and the second vehicle speed measured in the measuring of the vehicle speed, and correcting a vehicle speed to correct a speed of the vehicle by calculating a third vehicle speed of the vehicle based on the error rate calculated in the calculating of the error rate.Type: GrantFiled: September 7, 2016Date of Patent: July 30, 2019Assignee: MANDO CORPORATIONInventor: Deok-Ju Kim
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Patent number: 10354536Abstract: Provided is an airspace controller for creating and managing dynamic airspace for different users. The airspace controller may produce different dynamic airspace for each user by continually updating static controlled airspace maps with user-specific flight information including user-planned flights, authorization status of the user's flights, waivers, controlled airspace restrictions, and real-time flight telemetry. The airspace controller may generate a static airspace map for all users with different airspace user interface (“UI”) elements at different regions that correspond to different airspace restrictions in effect at those regions. The airspace controller may create dynamic airspace for each user by modifying the static airspace map to include flight UE elements over regions of the static airspace map where user-defined flights are to occur.Type: GrantFiled: January 31, 2019Date of Patent: July 16, 2019Assignee: Kittyhawk.io, Inc.Inventors: Jonathan Hegranes, Andrew Elefant, Michael Curry, Joshua Ziering