Patents Examined by Omar K Morsy
  • Patent number: 11247659
    Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus is applied to a vehicle so as to control driving of an electric motor of the vehicle. The vehicle control apparatus includes: a frequency calculation unit configured to calculate an engine pulsation frequency; a damping control content switching unit configured to switch a damping control content; a gain calculation unit configured to calculate a gain, used for a torque command for driving the electric motor; a torque calculation unit configured to calculate the torque command by multiplying the calculated gain by at least one of a torsion torque reduction component and a motor torque reduction component; a command torque determination unit configured to determine a damping control torque command; and a drive control unit configured to control the driving of the electric motor based on the damping control torque command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takatomo Asai, Hirotaka Mizuguchi
  • Patent number: 11225148
    Abstract: A target value obtaining section obtains a target value for the difference in rotational motion between a first motor and a second motor and a target value for output torque. A torque command value calculating section calculates a torque command value for the first motor and a torque command value for the second motor that achieve both of the target value for the difference in rotational motion and the target value for the output torque by using an inverse model of a motion model corresponding to a merging system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA CHUO KENKYUSHO
    Inventors: Teruhiko Nakazawa, Ryoichi Hibino, Hiroyuki Nishizawa, Atsushi Kawaguchi, Gentaro Yamanaka, Yasushi Amano, Masaru Sugai, Yasuhiro Torii
  • Patent number: 11226623
    Abstract: The technology relates to determining whether a vehicle operating in an autonomous driving mode is experiencing an anomalous condition, for instance due to a loss of tire pressure, a mechanical failure, or a shift or loss of cargo. The actual current pose of the vehicle is compared to an expected pose of the vehicle, where the expected pose is based on a model of the vehicle. If a pose discrepancy is identified, the anomalous condition is determined from information associated with the pose discrepancy. The vehicle is then able to take corrective action based on the nature of the anomalous condition. The corrective action may include making a real-time driving change, modifying a planned route, alerting a remote operations center, or communicating with one or more other vehicles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventor: Christopher Bowen
  • Patent number: 11199844
    Abstract: A management system for a work vehicle configured to carry out a utility work while traveling autonomously includes a work field information acquisition section for acquiring work field information indicative of information relating to a work field where the work is to be carried out, a route information acquisition section for acquiring route information indicative of a traveling route along which the vehicle has traveled, a consumed electric power information acquisition section for acquiring electric power information indicative of consumed electric power, a tilt angle information acquisition section for acquiring tilt angle information indicative of a tilt angle of the work field relative to the horizontal plane, and a calculation section for calculating a cost required for the work, based on the work field information, the route information, the electric power information and the tilt angle information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: Kubota Corporation
    Inventors: Kensuke Uemoto, Katsuhiko Uemura, Nobuyuki Yoshii, Hideya Umemoto, Hitoshi Aoyama
  • Patent number: 11194324
    Abstract: A monitor ECU 10 performs a support control based on a camera image photographed through a protection window by a camera 21. The ECU determines that a protection window state is an entire dirt state, when a first area index value calculated based on edge strength of pixels in a first area including a center of the camera image is smaller than a threshold dirt value. The ECU determines that the entire dirt state ends, when at least one of a first condition or a second condition is established. The first condition is established when the first area index value is equal to or greater than a first threshold end value. The second condition is established when a second area index value calculated based on the edge strength in a second area except the first area is equal to or greater than a second threshold end value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akihiro Kida, Tomoyuki Tsurube, Nobuyuki Hirose
  • Patent number: 11194326
    Abstract: A vehicle control system includes a first detection unit configured to detect an operation of a driving operation element by an occupant, a second detection unit configured to detect a direction of a face or a line of sight of the occupant, and a switching control unit configured to switch an automatic driving mode executed by an automatic driving control unit to one of a plurality of automatic driving modes including a first automatic driving mode and a second automatic driving mode. The switching control unit sets a condition for executing the first automatic driving mode, and sets a condition for executing the second automatic driving mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshifumi Nakamura, Toshiyuki Kaji
  • Patent number: 11186276
    Abstract: In some implementations, a method is provided. The method includes determining a path for an autonomous driving vehicle. The path is located within a first lane of an environment in which the autonomous driving vehicle is currently located. The method also includes obtaining sensor data. The sensor data indicates a set of speeds for a set of moving obstacles located in a second lane of the environment and wherein the second lane is adjacent to the first lane. The method further includes determining whether the set of speeds is lower than a threshold speed. The method further includes determining a new speed for the autonomous driving vehicle in response to determining that the set of speeds is lower than the threshold speed. The method further includes controlling the autonomous driving vehicle based on the path and the new speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: BAIDU USA LLC
    Inventors: Jiaming Tao, Liangliang Zhang, Dong Li, Yifei Jiang, Jiangtao Hu, Fan Zhu
  • Patent number: 11186957
    Abstract: A method includes receiving information indicative of a cold planer travel path extending along a work surface, determining a mobile machine travel path extending along the work surface based at least partly on the information indicative of the cold planer travel path, and receiving sensor information associated with the work surface, wherein the sensor information is determined by at least one sensor of an autonomous mobile machine as the autonomous mobile machine traverses the mobile machine travel path. The method also includes generating a worksite map based at least partly on the sensor information, the worksite map identifying an object, wherein the object is disposed at least partly beneath a cut area to be formed by a cold planer, and controlling a position of a rotor of the cold planer, relative to the work surface and based at least partly on a location of the object identified in the worksite map.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: Caterpillar Paving Products Inc.
    Inventor: Timothy M. O'Donnell
  • Patent number: 11181386
    Abstract: A navigation device for guiding a moving body to a destination is provided. The navigation device includes: a position detecting unit configured to detect a position of the moving body; a first determining unit configured to determine whether or not the moving body has arrived at the destination based on the position detected by the position detecting unit; a second determining unit configured to determine whether or not the destination can be entered when it is determined that the moving body has arrived at the destination; and a destination setting unit configured to choose an alternate destination when it is determined by the second determining unit that the destination cannot be entered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: ALPINE ELECTRONICS, INC.
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Sato
  • Patent number: 11137757
    Abstract: A system includes a processor configured to determine a driver identity. The processor is also configured to receive a request for a change to a driving mode and responsive to the request, enable or deny the driving mode based on mode-correlation to one of a predefined set of permissible driving modes pre-associated with the driver identity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ryan Sikorski, Christian Edward Shaffer
  • Patent number: 11091256
    Abstract: An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system is disclosed. The UAV system includes a chassis, a plurality of propeller assemblies configured to provide vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) for the chassis with propulsion in 6 degrees of freedom including along a cartesian coordinate system (X, Y, Z) and provide yaw, pitch, and roll, the plurality of propeller assemblies are selected from the group consisting of (i) two fixed propeller assemblies and a tiltable propeller assembly, and (ii) four fixed propeller assemblies, a boom having a boom propeller assembly, configured to selectively provide positive and negative rectilinear thrust vectors, and an end-effector coupled to a distal end of the boom, the end-effector having a force sensor configured to provide contact force between the end-effector and an object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: Purdue Research Foundation
    Inventors: David J. Cappelleri, Daniel R. McArthur
  • Patent number: 11040726
    Abstract: In one embodiment, an intelligent and prompt alarm system is designed on autonomous driving vehicles to help autonomous driving vehicles to communicate to human drivers more vigilantly and promptly, and to improve human driver's performance to take over when an autonomous driving failure occurs. In one embodiment, an alarm system can be developed several levels: 1) basic warning, 2) risk warning, and 3) emergency/take-over alarming.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: BAIDU USA LLC
    Inventors: Jiaming Tao, Yifei Jiang, Dong Li, Jiangtao Hu, Liangliang Zhang, Liyun Li, Jingao Wang
  • Patent number: 11021076
    Abstract: A control device of a vehicle includes an electronic control unit configured to selectively execute a first operation control for traveling based on a driving operation of a driver and a second operation control for traveling by setting a target traveling state independently of the driving operation of the driver and automatically performing acceleration or deceleration based on the target traveling state, and set an input voltage of an inverter set in the second operation control to be lower than the input voltage of the inverter set in the first operation control when an operating state of a rotating device represented by an output torque and a rotational speed of the rotating device is not changed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Jun Gotoh, Kenta Kumazaki
  • Patent number: 10914112
    Abstract: Method and apparatus are disclosed for vehicle liftgate control for cargo management. An example vehicle includes a liftgate with a sensor on an inner surface and a processor. The liftgate provides access to a cargo area. The processor, when an object is in the cargo area, detect when the object is banked against the liftgate using measurements from the sensor, and when the object is banked and a command to open the liftgate is received, autonomously opens the liftgate to an intermediate position between fully open and fully closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Mahmoud Yousef Ghannam, Brian Bennie
  • Patent number: 10767383
    Abstract: A ground wire guidance system for guiding a robotic vehicle through a doorway in a barrier. The system includes a ground wire loop arranged to pass though the doorway in two directions. Plural wires are switched as the loop passes through the doorway such that the pairs of wires conducting are spaced apart, or shielded, such that the robotic vehicle can reliably navigate through a relatively narrow doorway, while one of the wires passes through a central portion of the doorway.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: Robin Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Justin Crandall, Bart M. Lomont, David J. Melbourne