Patents Examined by Michael D Lang
  • Patent number: 11334080
    Abstract: In an embodiment a system includes: an automated vehicle configured to traverse a first predetermined path; and a sensor system located on the automated vehicle, the sensor system configured to detect a vertical obstacle along the first predetermined path along one or two floorboards ahead of the automated vehicle, wherein the automated vehicle is configured to traverse a second predetermined path in response to detecting the vertical obstacle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Cheng-Kang Hu, Cheng-Hung Chen, Yan-Han Chen, Feng-Kuang Wu, Hsu-Shui Liu, Jiun-Rong Pai, Shou-Wen Kuo
  • Patent number: 11332156
    Abstract: An information device is provided for informing a driver about a driving state of a motor vehicle drivable in an automated manner, the information device including a first control device for controlling automated driving of the motor vehicle and a second control device for controlling the automated driving of the motor vehicle, a first human-machine interface unit for communicating a driving state of the automated driving of the motor vehicle to the driver and a second human-machine interface unit for communicating the driving state of the automated driving of the motor vehicle to the driver, the first control device being designed for transmitting the driving state of the automated driving to the first human-machine interface unit and the second control device being designed for transmitting the driving state of the automated driving to the second human-machine interface unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Achim Henkel, Andreas Hoertling, Guido Funcke, Hartmut Loos, Werner Poechmueller
  • Patent number: 11320827
    Abstract: A system for deterministic trajectory selection based on uncertainty estimation includes a set of one or more computing systems. A method for deterministic trajectory selection includes receiving a set of inputs; determining a set of outputs; determining uncertainty parameters associated with any or all of the set of inputs and/or any or all of the set of outputs; and evaluating the uncertainty parameters and optionally triggering a process and/or action in response.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: Gatik AI Inc.
    Inventors: Gautam Narang, Apeksha Kumavat, Arjun Narang, Kinh Tieu, Michael Smart, Marko Ilievski
  • Patent number: 11318859
    Abstract: A reconfigurable system capable of autonomously exchanging material from unmanned vehicles of various types and sizes. The system comprises an environmental enclosure, a landing area, a universal mechanical system to load and unload material from the unmanned vehicle, and a central processor that manages the aforementioned tasks. The landing area may comprise a one or more visible or non-visible markers/emitters capable of generating composite images to assist in landing the unmanned vehicle upon the reconfigurable, autonomous system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: Asylon, Inc.
    Inventors: Damon C. Henry, Adam I. Mohamed, Brent McLaughlin, David Dones
  • Patent number: 11315432
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided for causing an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to perform a contingency landing procedure. The apparatus includes memory and processing circuitry configured to cause the apparatus to at least determine candidate safe landing zones (SLZs) within an estimated current range of the UAV. Trajectories are generated for landing the UAV in respective ones of the candidate SLZs. Risk values are calculated that quantify third-party risk associated with operation of the UAV along respective ones of the trajectories to the respective ones of the candidate SLZs. A flight termination risk value is calculated that quantifies third-party risk associated with immediately landing the UAV at the current position. The lowest of the risk values is compared with the flight termination risk value, and a sequence is executed to operate the UAV along the trajectory to the selected one of the candidate SLZs, or immediately land the UAV.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventor: Joerg Robert Oliver Schmidt
  • Patent number: 11305777
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided which includes a processing circuit and a plurality of sensors connected to a vehicle, where at least one of the plurality of sensors is positioned on an undercarriage of the vehicle. The plurality of sensors can detect variations in a road on which the vehicle is traveling. The plurality of sensors can also generate information corresponding to the variations of the road. The plurality of sensors can also transmit the information corresponding to the variations in the road to the processing circuit. The information collected by the plurality of sensors may then be used to augment a driving capability of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: Motional AD LLC
    Inventors: Zachary Thomas Batts, Ludong Sun, Ky Woodard, Qian Wang, Yiming Zhao, Stephanie Lee, Lin Zhao
  • Patent number: 11308814
    Abstract: A system and a method for suppressing a deterioration of communication quality due to frequent occurrence of handovers at cell boundaries of a plurality of cells formed by a plurality of radio relay apparatuses that can move in an upper airspace, are provided. In the system, each of the plurality of radio relay apparatuses for performing a radio communication with a terminal apparatus comprises a radio relay station which is movably provided by flying in an upper airspace, forms a cell toward the ground or the sea, and performs a radio communication with a terminal apparatus located in the cell. Each of the plurality of radio relay apparatuses flies in cooperation with each other so as to maintain a positional relationship between the radio relay apparatuses by an autonomous control or external control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: SoftBank Corp.
    Inventors: Takafumi Fujii, Yoshichika Ota, Kenji Hoshino
  • Patent number: 11307041
    Abstract: A vehicle information providing device (300) includes an acquisition unit (320) that acquires a destination input by a user and a plan setting unit (330) that sets a plan for a vehicle to travel toward the destination acquired by the acquisition unit, and the plan setting unit (330) sets a first travel plan for moving a first user to a first destination set as a destination on a first route and sets a second travel plan for moving the first user and a second user in a second route which allows the second user to ride by changing the first route in a case in which the second user also rides in the vehicle traveling in accordance with the first travel plan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Naotoshi Fujimoto
  • Patent number: 11307594
    Abstract: A system for deterministic trajectory selection based on uncertainty estimation includes a set of one or more computing systems. A method for deterministic trajectory selection includes receiving a set of inputs; determining a set of outputs; determining uncertainty parameters associated with any or all of the set of inputs and/or any or all of the set of outputs; and evaluating the uncertainty parameters and optionally triggering a process and/or action in response.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: Gatik AI Inc.
    Inventors: Gautam Narang, Apeksha Kumavat, Arjun Narang, Kinh Tieu, Michael Smart, Marko Ilievski
  • Patent number: 11297820
    Abstract: The present application discloses a multilevel cooperation-based unmanned aerial vehicle spraying operation method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: GUANGDONG POLYTECHNIC NORMAL UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Yu Tang, Shaoming Luo, Qiwei Guo, Xincai Zhuang, Huasheng Huang, Xing Zhu, Jiahao Li, Jiepeng Yang, Yiqing Fu, Chaojun Hou, Jiajun Zhuang, Aimin Miao, Xuan Chu
  • Patent number: 11299162
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes a display control unit configured to display a preceding vehicle image corresponding to a preceding vehicle and an overtaking proposal activation image based on a relative situation of the preceding vehicle with respect to the host vehicle and a surrounding environment of the host vehicle and configured to control display such that the overtaking proposal activation image and the preceding vehicle image approach each other in response to approaching of the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle, an automatic overtaking proposal unit configured to propose the automatic overtaking to a driver when the overtaking proposal activation image reaches the preceding vehicle image on the display screen, and a vehicle control unit configured to execute the automatic overtaking of the preceding vehicle by the host vehicle when the approval determination unit determines that the driver has approved the automatic overtaking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Atsuki Kinoshita, Ko Igarashi, Yuki Mori
  • Patent number: 11299152
    Abstract: A vehicle control system includes: a recommended lane setter configured to set a recommended lane in which an own vehicle is to travel along a route to a destination; a reception unit configured to receive an operation by an occupant of the own vehicle; and an automatic driving controller configured to control steering and acceleration or deceleration of the own vehicle such that the own vehicle travels in the recommended lane set by the recommended lane setter. The automatic driving controller is configured to change a lane of the own vehicle to another lane different from the recommended lane and is configured to control the steering and the acceleration or deceleration speed of the own vehicle such that the traveling in a lane of a lane change destination is maintained until a predetermined condition is satisfied when the reception unit receives a predetermined operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Atsushi Ishioka
  • Patent number: 11292340
    Abstract: The present invention ascertains an action schedule of an automatic driving system when a host vehicle is travelling in an automatic driving mode, and uses an indirect weak expression to convey the action schedule to a driver, at an action schedule presentation start location (P2) which has more leeway with respect to a scheduled action location (P1) (steps S16, S18). In the case of an acceleration/deceleration action schedule, an illuminance distribution of the speedometer dial plate, a virtual pointer or the like is used to express the action schedule such that the driver is able to intuitively ascertain the acceleration or deceleration. In the case of a steering action schedule, the steering direction is expressed using a change in illumination near the steering wheel representing the direction of steering or the like is used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: YAZAKI CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yukio Suzuki, Kenichi Nagahashi, Harutoshi Nakajima
  • Patent number: 11287525
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for identifying a short cut-in vehicle, and a vehicle using the same are disclosed. The apparatus includes a signal conversion unit configured to receive and signal-process a plurality of sensing signals, a computation unit configured to compute state information of a surrounding vehicle detected from the signal-processed signal, a sensor fusion track output unit configured to output a sensor fusion track based on the computed state information of the surrounding vehicle, an occupancy distance map (ODM) output unit configured to output ODM information including a grid map corresponding to a vehicle detection region and an ODM object including a plurality of detection points based on the computed state information of the surrounding vehicle, and a cut-in vehicle identification unit configured to identify a cut-in vehicle based on the output sensor fusion track and ODM information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA MOTORS CORPORATION, APTIV KOREA LLC
    Inventors: Hoon Lee, Ji Eun Won, Dong Gu Lee, Sang Bok Won, Min Kyun Yoo, Jae Pil Hwang, Hyung Sun Jang, Uk Il Yang, Hyok Jin Chong, Kyoung Jun Lee, Woo Young Lee, Seul Ki Han, Bo Young Yun, Su Min Jo, Seung Joon Lee, Byung Gi Hong, Soo Bin Jeon, Min Ho Park, Gi Hyun Seo, Kyu Ho Park, Jun Kwon Jee
  • Patent number: 11279347
    Abstract: A method for determining an emergency stop point for a motor vehicle includes steps of determining a driving state of the motor vehicle and determining an emergency stop point in the area of the motor vehicle on the basis of the driving state. The stop point is determined in such a way that a risk of stopping at the determined emergency stop point does not exceed a predetermined value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventor: Holger Mielenz
  • Patent number: 11260865
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes a control instruction unit (ALC switch) that gives an instruction to perform one of lane change assistance control in which guidance of lane change is provided to a vehicle occupant through a notification unit (HMI) and automated lane change control in which travel control required for movement from a travel lane to a target lane is automatically performed as lane change control performed in the lane change in accordance with vehicle occupant's operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Atsushi Ishioka, Kanta Tsuji
  • Patent number: 11242059
    Abstract: In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a method in a data processing system comprising at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one memory comprising instructions executed by the at least one processor to implement a vehicle overtaking monitoring system. The method comprises receiving, from a first plurality of sensors coupled to an ego vehicle, lead vehicle data about a lead vehicle, inferring an estimated intention of the lead vehicle based on the lead vehicle data, selecting an intention model from a plurality of intention models based on the estimated intention, calculating a set of permissible driving inputs of the ego vehicle based on the intention model, calculating at least one driver input range based on the set of permissible driving inputs, and causing the at least one driver input range to be displayed to a driver of the ego vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignees: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIV. OF MICHIGAN, AZ BRD REGENTS ON BEHALF OF AZ STATE UNIV.
    Inventors: Necmiye Ozay, Yunus E. Sahin, Zexiang Liu, Kwesi Rutledge, Sze Zheng Yong, Dimitra Panagou
  • Patent number: 11238727
    Abstract: An aerial vehicle can proceed to a target location upon receiving a message based on a ground vehicle being at an aerial vehicle deploy location. A user can be identified from an image captured at the target location. The aerial vehicle can be navigated to lead the user to a rendezvous with the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Oswaldo Perez Barrera, Alvaro Jimenez Hernandez
  • Patent number: 11235631
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Scott Hartshorn, Keith Daniel Humfeld
  • Patent number: 11237560
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kayoko Tanaka, Kohtaro Sabe, Miki Shibuya, Tsutomu Sawada, Satoru Shimizu, Kousuke Suzuki, Haruto Takeda, Peter Duerr, Masaomi Nabeta, Takekazu Kakinuma, Hironari Mizumura