Patents Examined by Peter D Nolan
  • Methods and systems for determining flight plans for vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aerial vehicles
    Patent number: 11860633
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for receiving, by a processor having addressable memory, data representing a geographical area for imaging by one or more sensors of an aerial vehicle; determining one or more straight-line segments covering the geographical area; determining one or more waypoints located at an end of each determined straight-line segment, where each waypoint comprises a geographical location, an altitude, and a direction of travel; determining one or more turnarounds connecting each of the straight-line segments, where each turnaround comprises one or more connecting segments; and generating, by the processor, a flight plan for the aerial vehicle comprising: the determined one or more straight-line segments and the determined one or more turnarounds connecting each straight-line segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: AEROVIRONMENT, INC.
    Inventors: Quentin Lindsey, Henry Thome Won
  • Methods for cognitive situation awareness using an attention-based event structure
    Patent number: 11858507
    Abstract: A method of using perception-inspired event generation for situation awareness for a vehicle, including receiving perception input data from a sensor of the vehicle and processing the perception input data to classify and generate parameters related to an external entity in a vicinity of the vehicle. The method includes generating a hierarchical event structure that classifies and prioritizes the perception input data by classifying the external entity into an attention zone and prioritizing the external entity within the attention zone according to a risk level value for the external entity. A higher risk level value indicates a higher priority within the attention zone. The method further includes developing a behavior plan for the vehicle based on the hierarchical event structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Hyukseong Kwon, Rajan Bhattacharyya, Michael J. Daily
  • Method for estimating a maximum safe articulation angle to be used in reversing of a vehicle combination
    Patent number: 11858492
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method for estimating a maximum safe articulation angle (?lim) to be used in reversing of a vehicle combination (1) comprising a towing vehicle (10) and at least one trailer (20), said method comprising: S1) providing a preset maximum safe articulation angle (?lim) for the towing vehicle (10) or the vehicle combination (1), S2) receiving a signal being indicative of an articulation angle (?) of the vehicle combination (1) during forward driving of the vehicle combination (1), and S3) updating the maximum safe articulation angle (?lim) when the articulation angle (?) of the vehicle combination (1) during forward driving is larger than the preset maximum safe articulation angle (?lim). The disclosure also relates to a method for reversing a vehicle combination (10), to a control unit (11), to a towing vehicle (10), to a computer program and to a computer readable medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Volvo Truck Corporation
    Inventors: Kristoffer Tagesson, Staffan Rödjedal
  • Vehicle terminal device, service server, method, computer program, computer readable recording medium for providing driving related guidance service
    Patent number: 11861754
    Abstract: There is provided a method for providing a driving related guidance service by a service server. The method includes receiving advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) data of a vehicle related to a specific driving situation of the vehicle, location data of the vehicle, driving data of the vehicle, and a driving image captured during driving of the vehicle from a vehicle terminal device, generating guidance information related to the specific driving situation of the vehicle by analyzing the received data and the driving image, and providing a driving related guidance service for the vehicle using the generated guidance information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: THINKWARE CORPORATION
    Inventor: Young Su Kang
  • Controlling vehicles in response to windows
    Patent number: 11851060
    Abstract: Systems, methods and computer readable media for controlling vehicles in response to windows are provided. One or more images captured using one or more image sensors from an environment of a vehicle may be obtained. The one or more images may be analyzed to detect a first window in the environment. The vehicle may be navigated to a stopping position, where in the stopping position a window of the vehicle may be positioned at a selected position with respect to the first window.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Inventor: Ron Zass
  • Enhanced vehicle operation
    Patent number: 11851058
    Abstract: At least one object is detected, via a sensor, in a direction of movement ahead of a host vehicle. A current sensor range is determined based on the detected at least one object. A maximum sensor range is determined based on the sensor. The current sensor range is compared with the maximum sensor range. Upon determining the current sensor range is less than the maximum sensor range by at least a predetermined threshold, driving parameters of the host vehicle are updated based on the current sensor range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Akshat Rajvanshi, Benjamin Maus, Jens Kotte, Nitendra Nath
  • Vehicle and method for controlling body thereof
    Patent number: 11851066
    Abstract: A vehicle and a method for controlling a body thereof are provided. The vehicle may include a processor, and non-transitory memory storing instructions executed by the processor. The processor may be configured to determine a first operation mode of a convenience device based on external environment information obtained by a sensor device when converting to an autonomous driving state; determine a second operation mode of the convenience device based on an input of a convenience device manipulator; compare the first operation mode with the second operation mode; and control the convenience device in the first operation mode or the second operation mode based on a comparison result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA MOTORS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Chan Hee Jung, Jin Su Jeong, Jae Yong Jeon
  • Charging station recommendation for an electric vehicle
    Patent number: 11854315
    Abstract: Subject matter disclosed herein may relate to systems, devices and/or processes for extracting one or more features of an electric current coupled to an electric vehicle in response to initiating a charging process at a first charging station, determining one or more performance characteristics of the electric vehicle based, at least in part, on the charging process, determining a charge performance model based, at least in part, on the one or more determined one or more performance characteristics of the electric vehicle and displaying a recommendation for at least a second charging station based, at least in part, on a comparison between one or more features of the at least the second charging station and the charge performance model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: MERCEDES-BENZ GROUP AG
    Inventors: Sorin Panainte, Francois Charles Piednoel
  • Systems and methods for aggregating harvest yield data
    Patent number: 11854094
    Abstract: The present invention is for an autonomous aerial vehicle that enables near real-time computation of harvest yield data. Generally, the autonomous aerial vehicle receives combine harvest data from a harvesting vehicle, generates high-resolution yield data based on sensor suite that is on-board the autonomous vehicle, obtains edge compute data from an edge computing device at the edge of the network, and segments the received combine harvest data, the generated high-resolution yield data, and the obtained edge compute data. The aerial vehicle applies data normalization models to the segmented data and computes a normalized harvest yield for at least a portion a land tract. In this manner, the data delivery vehicles computes normalized data that otherwise can by noisy and unreliable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: Chioccoli LLC
    Inventors: Gregory Chiocco, Michael C. Brogioli
  • System and method of large-scale autonomous driving validation
    Patent number: 11851074
    Abstract: An autonomous driving validation system may include a primary advanced autonomy system located on board an autonomous vehicle (AV) that includes sensors, computing subsystems, and a drive-by-wire system. The primary advanced autonomy system may be configured to process first computations relating to a driving operation of the AV. The autonomous driving validation system may also include an off-board autonomous cloud computing system that includes cloud computing subsystems. The off-board autonomous cloud computing system may be configured to process second computations that are similar to the first computations processed by the primary advanced autonomy system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: CYNGN, INC.
    Inventors: Biao Ma, Lior Tal
  • Predictable and delay tolerant traffic management system
    Patent number: 11852496
    Abstract: A method of operating a traffic management system comprises receiving data from a vehicle indicating a traffic state, estimating a future time at which the vehicle will receive driving instructions transmitted by the traffic management system, predicting a future traffic state at the estimated future time, determining the driving instructions for the vehicle based on the predicted future traffic state, and transmitting the driving instructions to the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Yusuke Hara, Kentaro Oguchi
  • Active vehicle suspension system
    Patent number: 11850905
    Abstract: A method of on-demand energy delivery to an active suspension system comprising an actuator body, hydraulic pump, electric motor, plurality of sensors, energy storage facility, and controller is provided. The method comprises disposing an active suspension system in a vehicle between a wheel mount and a vehicle body, detecting a wheel event requiring control of the active suspension; and sourcing energy from the energy storage facility and delivering it to the electric motor in response to the wheel event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: ClearMotion, Inc.
    Inventors: Zackary Martin Anderson, Shakeel Avadhany, Matthew D. Cole, Robert Driscoll, John Giarratana, Marco Giovanardi, Vladimir Gorelik, Jonathan R. Leehey, William G. Near, Patrick W. Neil, Colin Patrick O'Shea, Tyson David Sawyer, Johannes Schneider, Clive Tucker, Ross J. Wendell, Richard Anthony Zuckerman
  • Method and device for determining a vehicle position
    Patent number: 11846520
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes a method and an apparatus for determining a corrected position of a vehicle based on a stable landmark. The method includes determining a last known position vector of the vehicle; capturing an image within a vicinity of a vehicle using an imaging device; identifying a stable landmark within the captured image based on a previously constructed reference map of the vicinity of the vehicle; determining a correction for a position of the vehicle based on the determined last known position vector of the vehicle and the identified stable landmark; and determining an updated position of the vehicle based on the determined correction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Leonid Valerianovich Edelman, Sergey Igorevitch Fedorenko, Dmitrii Alexandrovich Korchemkin
  • Multi-sensor system for cardiovascular and respiratory tracking
    Patent number: 11844589
    Abstract: Cardiovascular or respiratory data of a subject is measured using a multi-sensor system. The multi-sensor system includes a mm-wave FMCW radar sensor, an IMU sensor, and one or more proximity sensors. The mm-wave FMCW radar sensor may be selected and its view angle adjusted based on positioning data regarding the subject obtained from the one or more proximity sensors. Each of the mm-wave FMCW radar sensor and the IMU sensor may acquire cardiovascular or respiratory measurements of the subject, and the measurements may be fused for improved accuracy and performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Inventors: Diyan Teng, Mehul Soman, Rashmi Kulkarni
  • Device and method for identifying and/or representing a signaling unit
    Patent number: 11847835
    Abstract: A device for identifying a signaling unit on a road on which a vehicle is traveling is described. The device is configured to determine an arrangement of one or more signal signs of the signaling unit on the basis of environmental data of one or more environmental sensors of the vehicle. The device is further configured to assign the one or more signal signs to one or more corresponding grid cells of a signal sign grid based on assignment logic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Thomas Barowski, Frank Herchet, Markus Kraemer, Michel Lanz
  • Remote trailer backup assist multiple user engagement
    Patent number: 11845424
    Abstract: Systems and methods for operating a vehicle during a remote trailer parking operation include receiving, via a processor, a control instruction from a first mobile device indicative of a first curvature command providing directional control of a vehicle, and a first user engagement indicator. The processor may receive, from a second mobile device, a second control instruction from a second mobile device, the second control instruction can include a second user engagement indicator. The system may determine, based on the first user engagement indicator that first user engagement meets a threshold, and determine, based on the second user engagement indicator that second user engagement meets a threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: John Robert Van Wiemeersch, Erick Michael Lavoie, Hamid M. Golgiri
  • Geometry-based model for road edge detection at intersections
    Patent number: 11845443
    Abstract: A system, map server and method of navigating a vehicle through an intersection. The map server includes a remote processor and a communication device. The remote processor determines a first road edge for a first road entering an intersection and a second road edge for a second road entering the intersection. The remote processor constructs an intersection edge that connects a first point on the first road edge to a second point on the second road edge. The communication device communicates the intersection edge to the vehicle. A vehicle processor at the vehicle navigates the vehicle through the intersection using the intersection edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Mubassira Khan, Najah Ghalyan, Mason David Gemar, Kaydee Hartmann
  • Systems and methods for generating traffic work zones
    Patent number: 11847912
    Abstract: Disclosed embodiments may include a system for generating traffic work zones. The system may receive, via a first GUI of a user device, a first request to generate a traffic work zone, the first request comprising at least a location of the traffic work zone. Responsive to receiving the first request, the system may retrieve, via a database, one or more regulations associated with the location of the traffic work zone; determine, based on the one or more regulations, one or more required materials associated with the location of the traffic work zone; generate a second GUI configured to display a map of the location of the traffic work zone and at least one of the one or more required materials overlaid on the map; and cause the user device to display the second GUI.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: Traffic Safety Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ryan Clark, Shan Watkins
  • Vehicle drive force control method and vehicle drive force control device
    Patent number: 11845458
    Abstract: A vehicle drive force control method according to the present invention includes calculating an estimated friction circle on the basis of longitudinal and lateral accelerations of a vehicle, limiting a drive force of the vehicle depending on a size of the estimated friction circle, and limiting a change rate of the size of the estimated friction circle during vehicle traveling on the basis of a tire generation force. The method further the change rate as the tire generation force increases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kensuke Itou, Tatsuya Suzuki, Masaaki Nawano
  • Battery charging by towed regenerative braking
    Patent number: 11845360
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for recharging a battery of a vehicle. In one example, a method includes activating a recuperative brake during a tow operation of a vehicle. The vehicle is an electric vehicle replenishing a state of charge of a battery thereof without transferring electrical energy from a towing vehicle to the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Markus Espig, David van Bebber, Guido Hammes