Patents Examined by Peter D Nolan
  • Patent number: 12715301
    Abstract: An electrified rear axle regenerative handbrake system for an electrified vehicle includes an electric motor, a rear axle, a handbrake and a controller. The rear axle receives input from the electric motor and transmits torque to rear wheels of the electrified vehicle. The handbrake moves between an unactuated position and an unactuated position and generates a handbrake signal based on a sensed position thereof. The controller receives the handbrake signal; receives a speed and direction of the rear axle; determines a rear axle braking torque command based on the handbrake signal, and the speed and direction of the rear axle; and commands the electric motor to implement a rear axle braking torque based on the determined rear axle braking torque command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2024
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2026
    Assignee: FCA US LLC
    Inventors: Jacob R. Kennedy, Alexander Y Morita, Syed K Arshad-Ali, Renlin Zhang
  • Patent number: 12715475
    Abstract: Techniques for enabling operation of a vehicle in one or more different operational states after detecting a fault associated with a component of the vehicle are described herein. A vehicle computing system can monitor components of the vehicle and identify a fault associated with a component. Based on the fault, the vehicle computing system can identify a degraded operational state for the vehicle including one or more limitations or constraints on operation of the vehicle, such as limited speed, acceleration, direction of travel, and/or the like. The vehicle computing system can additionally determine a threshold time period, distance, or range for operating the vehicle in the degraded operational state. The vehicle computing system can cause the vehicle to be controlled according to the limitation(s) or constraint(s) for a time period, distance, or range that is equal to or less than the associated threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2026
    Assignee: Zoox, Inc.
    Inventors: Udayan Pushparaj Karmarkar, Matthew Daniel Lopez, Collin MacGregor, Ganapathy Sankararaman
  • Patent number: 12716729
    Abstract: A positioning method and related apparatus are provided. The method includes obtaining information about a first coordinate system relative to a second coordinate system, wherein the first coordinate system is a coordinate system used by a measurement device, the second coordinate system is a coordinate system used by a map, and the information about the first coordinate system relative to the second coordinate system includes translation information and rotation information that are from the first coordinate system to the second coordinate system; obtaining, by the measurement device, a position of a measurement target in the first coordinate system through measurement; and determining a position of the measurement target in the second coordinate system based on the information about the first coordinate system relative to the second coordinate system and the position of the measurement target in the first coordinate system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2026
    Assignee: Yinwang Intelligent Technologies Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yong Wu, Lei Wan
  • Patent number: 12715431
    Abstract: A method comprises steps including detecting, while piloting a route to a destination location, a plurality of road entities; assigning each of the plurality of road entities a provisional unique identifier; receiving an indication from an external source of at least one certified object identifier associated respectively with at least one of the plurality of provisional unique identifiers, wherein the at least one certified object identifier respectively indicates at least one of the plurality of the road entities to the vehicle and the external source, wherein the at least one certified object identifier is configured to be shared among a plurality of vehicles using peer-to-peer wireless communication; receiving external information associated with one or more of the at least one certified object identifier; and determining, based upon a collision risk presented by the plurality of road entities to an autonomous vehicle, accident avoidance and mitigation calculations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2024
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2026
    Assignee: United Services Automobile Association (USAA)
    Inventor: Richard John Wallner
  • Patent number: 12715338
    Abstract: A vehicle system includes a battery pack including a plurality of battery cells, a voltage sensor configured to sense an output voltage of the plurality of battery cells, and a control module in communication with the voltage sensor. The control module is configured to detect a failure associated with the battery pack, receive, from the voltage sensor, a first voltage signal representing a first voltage value and a second voltage signal representing a second voltage value, determine a defined ratio of the first voltage value and the second voltage value, determine a battery cell location of the detected failure in the battery pack based on the defined ratio and a total number of the plurality of battery cells in the battery pack, and generate an alert indicating the battery cell location of the detected failure. Other example vehicle systems and methods are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2024
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2026
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Christopher Neuman, Andres Victor Mituta, James Routh
  • Patent number: 12718696
    Abstract: The present disclosure discloses a method for target assignment and route planning for multi-agent unmanned surface vehicles (USVs). Task information is transmitted to a task allocator, which identifies unassigned targets and available USVs. Based on a comprehensive cost function considering navigation distance and turning penalties between targets and USVs, a target is assigned to each USV. A path planner then generates a smooth waypoint sequence for each assigned USV and target pair, serving as the navigation path. During navigation, a navigation controller constructs a velocity optimization model according to cooperative collision avoidance and maritime boundary constraints, and controls the USVs in real-time to navigate along the waypoint sequences.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2024
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2026
    Assignee: JIANGU UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Qingchao Liu, Chengzhi Gao, Yingfeng Cai, Hai Wang, Long Chen
  • Patent number: 12715490
    Abstract: A method determines the energy consumption of a rail vehicle during a test drive. The method includes: a) providing a locomotive system having a brake locomotive component and a test locomotive component, b) providing a test route, c) providing basic data for the test drive having information about the train composition, load, route profile and timetable, d) determining driving data from the basic data, and transmitting the driving data to the control system, e) determining braking data from the basic data, and transmitting the braking data to the control system, f) carrying out the test drive with the locomotive system on the test route and measuring the energy consumption of the test locomotive component while this is controlled in accordance with the driving data and is simultaneously braked by the brake locomotive component in accordance with the braking data. A corresponding system is provided for implementing the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2023
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2026
    Assignee: Siemens Mobility GmbH
    Inventors: Alexander Dorsch, Bernd Vangermain, Martin Jung, Tobias Weis
  • Patent number: 12711856
    Abstract: A system and method for controlling vehicles and for providing assistance to operated vehicles is discussed and described herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2025
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2026
    Assignee: EDI LICENSING LLC
    Inventor: Edward D. Ioli
  • Patent number: 12712328
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a measurement application system comprising a measurement application probe comprising an automotive connector configured to couple to an in-vehicle connector, and at least one measurement application device connector, and the measurement application system further comprising a measurement application device comprising at least one measurement interface coupled to a respective measurement application device connector of the measurement application probe, and configured to receive a measurement signal from the measurement application probe, and a protocol decoder coupled to the measurement interface, and configured to decode the received at least one measurement signal according to a predefined communication protocol. In addition, the present disclosure provides a measurement application probe, and a measurement application device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2023
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2026
    Assignee: Rohde & Schwarz GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Hongjin Kim, Kevin Guo
  • Patent number: 12710763
    Abstract: A method includes: accessing message including a frame captured by a fixed sensor in an operating field; detecting an object in the frame; calculating a first position of the object, in a reference coordinate system, within the operating field; calculating a trust score for the object based on a set of characteristics of the message; accessing a second position of a machine in the reference coordinate system; defining a controlled zone, in the reference coordinate system, encompassing the second position occupied by the machine based on the trust score; in response to detecting the first position of the first object intersecting the controlled zone, generating a command that transitions the machine from a nominal operating mode to a reduced performance operating mode; and transmitting the command to the machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2025
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2026
    Assignee: Fort Robotics, Inc.
    Inventor: Nathan Bivans
  • Patent number: 12703325
    Abstract: A control system for windshield wipers of a vehicle includes: a gaze module configured to determine a present gaze of a driver toward a front windshield of the vehicle based on a first image from a first camera facing the driver; an obstruction zone module configured to, based on the present gaze, determine an obstruction zone through which the driver is looking through the front windshield; an obstruction module configured to, based on a second image from a second camera facing the front windshield, determine whether vision through the obstruction zone is obstructed; a frequency module configured to determine a frequency at which to begin cycles of the windshield wipers of the front windshield in response to a determination that vision through the obstruction zone is obstructed; and an actuator control module configured to actuate the windshield wipers of the front windshield based on the frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2024
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2026
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Matthew Edward Gilbert-Eyres, Alec M. Wuorinen, Craig Thomas Douglas
  • Patent number: 12705988
    Abstract: Disclosed is a system for certifying a planned trajectory of an aircraft, the certification system being remote from the aircraft and including: a receiving device configured to receive the planned trajectory; a processing device including a plurality of processing modules, each processing module being configured to certify a given trajectory according to at least one certification rule specific to the processing module; a selection device configured to select one or more processing modules, which are referred to as active modules, to be used to certify the planned trajectory; a sending device configured to send a signal including a piece of certification information relating to the certification of the planned trajectory by all of the active modules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2026
    Assignee: THALES
    Inventors: Gilles Blanc, Ronan Demonent
  • Patent number: 12703225
    Abstract: An embodiment vehicle includes an air conditioning apparatus and a controller configured to determine whether output of sound guidance is scheduled or input of a voice command is started in response to an inside noise level being higher than a preset reference noise level while air conditioning control is performed through the air conditioning apparatus and, in response to a determination that the output of the sound guidance is scheduled or the input of the voice command is started, to determine air conditioning control adjustment based on an air conditioning target and an inside temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2023
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2026
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Corporation
    Inventors: Jin Kyeom Cho, Sang Hun Jung
  • Patent number: 12703500
    Abstract: A modular power plant for a rotorcraft comprising at least one lift rotor, the power plant comprising: at least one combustion or electric engine; a main gearbox, comprising a gearbox housing and a toothed wheel arranged in an internal space at least partially delimited by the gearbox housing, the toothed wheel having a degree of rotational freedom about a primary axis of rotation relative to the gearbox housing, the toothed wheel mechanically transmitting an engine torque generated by the at least one engine to the at least one lift rotor; and at least two mechanical connection interfaces, a first mechanical connection interface mechanically connecting the main gearbox to a first engine, and a second mechanical connection interface being left free or mechanically connecting the main gearbox to a second engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2026
    Assignee: AIRBUS HELICOPTERS
    Inventor: Douchane Fages
  • Patent number: 12703388
    Abstract: Devices, systems, and methods for controlling a vehicle are described. An example method for controlling a vehicle includes obtaining planning information relating to an intended operation of the vehicle, the intended operation relating to an intended value of an operation parameter of the vehicle; obtaining, based on the intended operation of the vehicle, context information relating to an environment in which the vehicle is to operate following the planning information; determining a context compensated control instruction based on the planning information and the context information; obtaining feedback relating to a deviation of a real-time value of the operation parameter of the vehicle operating according to the context compensated control instruction from the intended value of the operation parameter relating to the intended operation; determining a corrected control instruction based on the feedback; and operating the vehicle based on the corrected control instruction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2024
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2026
    Assignee: CreateAI, Inc.
    Inventors: Shen Qu, Jingxuan Liu, Patrik Kolaric, Mohamadreza Ahmadi, Junbo Jing
  • Patent number: 12699390
    Abstract: Systems and methods for planning and filtering a path of a vehicle in a work area or field are described. An example system includes a user interface that supports a selection of a threshold value used to filter the path of the vehicle. The system also includes a data processor that receives the path that defines guidance lines and transitions between guidance lines and filters the path by deleting portions of the guidance lines that do not satisfy the threshold value. The guidance lines define movement of the vehicle though a work area or field. The system includes a guidance module that controls at least one motive function of the vehicle based on the filtered path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2026
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Manu Poduval, Shriraam Prabu Subramanian
  • Patent number: 12697993
    Abstract: The vehicle of the present disclosure stores autonomous driving data generated during execution of autonomous driving and switch a storage mode according to an available capacity of a storage area for storing the autonomous driving data. The storage mode includes an all-storage mode and a partial-storage mode. The all-storage mode is a mode that is selected when the available capacity of the storage area is equal to or larger than a threshold value, and is a mode for storing all of the autonomous driving data. The partial-storage mode is a mode that is selected when the available capacity of the storage area is less than the threshold value, and is a mode for storing only a part of the autonomous driving data. The part of the autonomous driving data stored in the partial-storage mode includes data for reproducing autonomous driving.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2024
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2026
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiromitsu Urano, Masamichi Ohsugi
  • Patent number: 12697981
    Abstract: An apparatus for estimating a vehicle weight includes a memory storing computer-executable instructions and at least one processor that accesses the memory and executes the instructions. The at least one processor applies a real velocity and real acceleration to a trained real-to-virtual transformation model to obtain a virtual output set at a target time point, which includes a virtual gradient of a vehicle, a virtual velocity of the vehicle, and virtual longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle, and applies the virtual output set at the target time point and a real wheel torque at the target time point to a trained mass estimation model to obtain weight information of the vehicle. The real-to-virtual transformation model includes a first sub-model for obtaining an initial virtual velocity, a second sub-model for obtaining the virtual longitudinal acceleration, and a third sub-model for obtaining the virtual gradient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2023
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2026
    Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Min Hyuk Lee, Byeong Wook Jeon, Dong Hoon Jeong, Ye Seul Park
  • Patent number: 12700319
    Abstract: A method for managing taxiing paths of an aircraft includes at least one computer system, the method being implemented by the computer system. The method includes the following steps: editing an initial path; displaying a route of the initial path on a screen using a first route symbolism; obtaining a validation of the initial path; displaying a route of the validated initial path on the screen using a second route symbolism; implementing the validated initial path in a taxiing setpoint of the aircraft. The method further includes an editing process and an independent display process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2024
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2026
    Assignees: AIRBUS SAS, AIRBUS OPERATIONS SAS
    Inventors: Benjamin Mazoin, Laura Fersing
  • Patent number: 12701389
    Abstract: A vehicle control method, an adapter interface, apparatus and computer readable medium for improving in vehicle connectivity. The in-vehicle connectivity is improved by: in response to determining that a mobile terminal accesses the cockpit domain controller through the adapter interface, universal serial communication connection between the mobile terminal and a terminal interface of an adapter and between a vehicle interface of the adapter and the adapter interface is established; a vehicle control instruction forwarded by the adapter is received, and the vehicle control instruction is generated by the mobile terminal in response to a user operation and transmitted to the adapter; and vehicle control corresponding to the vehicle control instruction is executed using the cockpit domain controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2024
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2026
    Assignee: XIAOMI EV TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hao Chen