Patents Examined by Nadeem Odeh
  • Patent number: 10281910
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus for determining a route for a vehicle (2). The method comprises generating, by a processor (12), a grid (16) by specifying a start node (18), specifying one or more movement operations performable by the vehicle (2), and iteratively adding edges and further nodes (20-24) to the grid (16), each edge corresponding to a respective movement operation and each further node corresponding to a location for the vehicle (2). The one or more processors (12) then select a path through the grid (16) from a first node of the grid to a second node of the grid. The first node corresponds to a first location (A) for the vehicle (2) and the second node corresponds to a second location (B) for the vehicle (2). Thus, a route for the vehicle (2) from the first location (A) to the second location (B) is determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: BAE Systems plc
    Inventor: Peter Norman Thomas
  • Patent number: 10281279
    Abstract: The positioning/navigation solution of a portable device may be enhanced by obtaining motion sensor data, estimating a trajectory for the portable device from the motion sensor data, obtaining map information for an environment encompassing locations of the portable device, representing the estimated trajectory using a set of connected vectors and performing global shape matching for the set of connected vectors as an aggregate whole from start to end of the trajectory to the map information as a global optimization problem to derive a solution path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: InvenSense, Inc.
    Inventors: Amr Shebl Ahmed, Jacques Georgy
  • Patent number: 10280788
    Abstract: A system and method for controlling the operation of a gas turbine engine supplying power to an aircraft. The engine is controlled according to a reading of an amount of power drawn from the supplied power. The reading is fed directly to a control system, which issues commands for controlling engine parameters comprising an acceleration reference signal, load shedding, variable geometry positioning, and fuel flow. The control system may further issue commands for controlling the amount of power drawn. The control system may further use the reading to monitor the engine's condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP.
    Inventors: Bryan Chen, Dariusz Chmiel, Philippe Beauchesne-Martel, James Robert Jarvo
  • Patent number: 10268210
    Abstract: A pipeline in a controller may be configured to interface between sensors and actuators. The pipeline may include elements such as drivers, filters, a combine, estimators, controllers, a mixer, and actuator controllers. The drivers may receive sensor data and pre-process the received sensor data. The filters may filter the pre-processed sensor data to generate filtered sensor data. The combine may package the filtered sensor data to generate packaged sensor data. The estimators may determine estimates of a position of a vehicle based on the packaged sensor data. The controllers may generate control signals based on the determined estimates. The mixer may modify the generated control signals based on limitations of the vehicle. The actuator controllers may generate actuator control signals based on the modified control signals to drive the actuators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: GoPro, Inc.
    Inventor: Joseph Anthony Enke
  • Patent number: 10260887
    Abstract: A position determination method in a vehicle, which uses signals from a pressure-based collision sensor. In addition, an associated electronic control module and an associated use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignees: Continental Teves AG & Co. oHG, Continental Automotive GmbH
    Inventors: Holger Faisst, Michael Zalewski, Ronald Winter
  • Patent number: 10252727
    Abstract: Methods and systems described in this disclosure identify a driver of a vehicle. The driver may have a profile indicating vehicle settings, and at least one of the vehicle settings may not be overridden by the driver. The vehicle may be configured according to the vehicle settings in the profile, such that the vehicle may not operate outside of at least one of the vehicle settings that cannot be overridden. An insurance rate for insuring the vehicle may be generated based at least in part on the vehicle settings associated with the profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: UNITED SERVICES AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION (USAA)
    Inventors: Florian Braun, Andre Rene Buentello
  • Patent number: 10245993
    Abstract: Autonomous ground vehicles (“AGVs”) are utilized to transport items to delivery locations and may be modular in that a storage compartment portion (e.g., which may hold an ordered item) may be removable (i.e., separable) from a propulsion portion. In various implementations, the storage compartment portion may be securely attached to the propulsion portion during transport (e.g., requiring an access code to remove and/or open), and the storage compartment portion may similarly be securely attached to the delivery location (e.g., at a docking station) when delivered. In various implementations, the storage compartment portion may be refrigerated, heated, etc., and may include various sensors on the inside and outside of the storage compartment portion (e.g., temperature sensors, motion sensors, image sensors to determine the presence and condition of items and/or to assist with navigation and other operations of the propulsion portion, etc.).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Tye Michael Brady, Darren Ernest Canavor, Ethan Zane Evans, Pragyana K. Mishra, Hilliard Bruce Siegel
  • Patent number: 10246084
    Abstract: A vehicle behavior control device comprises: a steer-by-wire type steering apparatus (6) having a steering wheel-side mechanism and a road wheel-side mechanism which are mechanically separated from each other; and a controller (8) performs a driving force reduction control when a steering speed in the steering apparatus (6) becomes equal to or greater than a given threshold. The steering apparatus (6) comprises a first steering angle sensor (14) provided in the steering wheel-side mechanism and a second steering angle sensor (19) provided in the road wheel-side mechanism. The controller (8) performs the driving force reduction control using the first steering angle sensor (14) when a yaw rate or a steering speed is equal to or greater than a given value, and performs the driving force reduction control using the second steering angle sensor (19) when the yaw rate or the steering speed is less than the given value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomoji Izumi, Yasunori Takahara, Daisuke Umetsu, Osamu Sunahara, Masaki Chiba
  • Patent number: 10242511
    Abstract: A diagnostic tool configured to retrieve mode 6 cylinder misfire data from an engine controller using physical addressing of the engine controller. The mode 6 data is retrieved on a continuous and dynamic basis instead of a snapshot. The retrieved mode 6 data may be displayed on a GUI and may also contain other mode 6 data such as throttle position sensor, engine RPM and mass air flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: Bosch Automotive Service Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Todd Hanson, Michael O'Brien, Dan Brase
  • Patent number: 10204461
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for detecting faults in a sensor and reconstructing an output signal without use of the faulty sensor. In one embodiment, a method includes: receiving, by a processor, sensor data indicating a measured value from a first sensor; receiving, by a processor, sensor data indicating measured values from a plurality of other sensors; computing, by a processor, virtual values based on a vehicle model and the sensor data from the plurality of other sensors; computing, by a processor, a residual difference between the measured value from the first sensor and the virtual values; detecting, by a processor, whether a fault exists in the first sensor based on the residual difference; and when a fault in the sensor is detected, generating, by a processor, a control value based on the virtual values instead of the measured value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignees: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC, UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO
    Inventors: Shih-Ken Chen, Nikolai K. Moshchuk, Bakhtiar B. Litkouhi, Reza Zarringhalam, Amir Khajepour, William Melek
  • Patent number: 10196064
    Abstract: A motor vehicle controller that carries out a method which includes: receiving a signal indicative of a surface friction parameter, surface_friction, the surface friction parameter corresponding to a coefficient of friction between a road wheel and a driving surface; receiving a signal indicative of a position of an accelerator control with respect to an allowable range of positions, accel_ctrl_pos; determining a critical powertrain torque limit value PT_TQ_CRIT in dependence at least in part on the value of surface_friction; and providing a traction warning indication to a driver in dependence on the value of accel_ctrl_pos and PT_TQ_CRIT.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: JAGUAR LAND ROVER LIMITED
    Inventors: Charlotte Cooke, Paul Beever, Jon Parr, Andrew Fairgrieve, Nick Brockley, James Kelly
  • Patent number: 10196796
    Abstract: A construction machine control system includes: a target construction ground shape generation unit generating a target construction ground shape indicating a target shape of an excavation target; a tilting data calculation unit calculating tilting data of a bucket tilted about a tilting axis; a regulation point position data calculation unit calculating position data of a regulation point set in the bucket based on external shape data of the bucket including at least width data of the bucket; a tilting target ground shape calculation unit calculating a tilting target ground shape extending in a lateral direction of the bucket in the target construction ground shape based on the position data of the regulation point, the target construction ground shape, and the tilting data; and a working device control unit controlling a tilting of the bucket based on a distance between the regulation point and the tilting target ground shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsutomu Iwamura, Yoshiro Iwasaki, Masashi Ichihara
  • Patent number: 10191493
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a first position associated with a set of rear wheels of an autonomous vehicle is determined based on global positioning system (GPS) data received from a GPS source. A moving direction of the autonomous vehicle is determined based on directional data received from an inertial measurement unit (IMU) onboard. A second position associated with a set of front wheels of the autonomous vehicle is calculated based on the first position and the moving direction of the autonomous vehicle. A route segment of a route is planned based on the second position as a current position of the autonomous vehicle. Planning and control data is generated for the route segment. The autonomous vehicle is controlled and driven based on the planning and control data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: BAIDU USA LLC
    Inventors: Fan Zhu, Qi Kong, Guang Yang, Jingao Wang
  • Patent number: 10168178
    Abstract: The navigation device according to the present invention comprises a position information identifying unit for identifying at least one of a current moving speed and a position of the moving object, a safety level determining unit for determining safety level information about an output of content based on the at least one of the moving speed and the position of the moving object, a content receiving unit for receiving content via a network, and a control unit for controlling the output of the received content according to the safety level information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: SK PLANET CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Jin Chul Shin
  • Patent number: 10168177
    Abstract: A method of operation of a navigation system includes: calculating a travel route to an expected destination for displaying on a device; determining a destination action for execution at the expected destination; detecting a route deviation from the travel route; determining a deviation type of the route deviation; and generating an action modification based on the route deviation type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: Telenav, Inc.
    Inventor: John Hinnegan
  • Patent number: 10163275
    Abstract: A driving analysis server may be configured to receive vehicle location data and/or operation data from one or more vehicle systems, identify driving trips and/or driving patterns based on the vehicle data, determine risk assessment values corresponding to the driving trips and driving patterns, and calculate driver scores based on the analyzed driving trip and driving pattern data. Destination locations may be identified for a vehicle's driving trips, and information relating to the destination locations may be retrieved and analyzed to determine risk factors and risk assessment values associated with driving to and from the destination, as well as parking at the destination. Specific driving trip types or purposes may be identified, and driving scores may be calculated based on the vehicle location and time data, including the risk factors, risk assessment values, and the determined trip types or purposes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company
    Inventors: Margaret A. Brinkmann, Daniel Kraft, Nathan M. Bryer, Eric Huls, Thomas M. Warden
  • Patent number: 10163281
    Abstract: A system and method are provided for adaptively accessing information in a vehicle under test, in a manner to avoid malfunctions associated with accessing the information. A data acquisition device is provided for accessing and retrieving diagnostic data from the vehicle. A memory unit is provided including listing of malfunctioning vehicles, as well as information associated with each of vehicle. At least one service mode request is communicated to the vehicle to identify characteristic information and characteristic features of the vehicle, which information is compared to stored vehicle characteristic information, to determine if the vehicle conforms to any of the listed vehicles, subject to malfunction. If not, additional service requests are communicated to the vehicle. If the vehicle conforms to one or more of the listed vehicles additional service request(s) are modified to remove service requests, or portions thereof, that are associated with the malfunction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: INNOVA ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tan Minh Le, Hung Phan, Si Tan Truong
  • Patent number: 10163274
    Abstract: A driving analysis server may be configured to receive vehicle location data and/or operation data from one or more vehicle systems, identify driving trips and/or driving patterns based on the vehicle data, determine risk assessment values corresponding to the driving trips and driving patterns, and calculate driver scores based on the analyzed driving trip and driving pattern data. Destination locations may be identified for a vehicle's driving trips, and information relating to the destination locations may be retrieved and analyzed to determine risk factors and risk assessment values associated with driving to and from the destination, as well as parking at the destination. Specific driving trip types or purposes may be identified, and driving scores may be calculated based on the vehicle location and time data, including the risk factors, risk assessment values, and the determined trip types or purposes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company
    Inventors: Margaret A. Brinkmann, Daniel Kraft, Nathan M. Bryer, Eric Huls, Thomas Michael Warden
  • Patent number: 10150569
    Abstract: A method of stopping an engine of a rotorcraft in overspeed, the engine comprising a gas generator and a power assembly. When the engine is in operation, a relationship is established giving a limit derivative that varies as a function of the speed of rotation of the power assembly. The speed of rotation, referred to as the “current speed”, reached by the power assembly is measured and the time derivative of the speed of rotation is determined and referred to as the “current derivative”. The engine is stopped automatically when the limit derivative corresponding to the current speed as determined by the relationship is less than or equal to the current derivative.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: Airbus Helicopters
    Inventor: Bernard Certain
  • Patent number: 10152833
    Abstract: In order to determine a defective component of a vehicle, a defect of a first sensor system which is located at a first position in the vehicle is detected. A component, which is located between the first position and the outer edge of the vehicle and is, in particular, sensorless, of the vehicle is marked as being defective.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Thilo Sauerteig, Felix Breiner