Patents Examined by Robert T Nguyen
  • Patent number: 11628022
    Abstract: Methods of collision handling for robotic surgical systems include slipping an input handle of a user interface of the robotic surgical system relative to a pose of a tool of a surgical robot of the robotic surgical system when a portion of the surgical robot collides with an obstruction and an input handle is moved in a direction that corresponds to moving the tool towards the obstruction. The input handle having an offset relative to a desired pose of the tool after the input handle is slipped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: Covidien LP
    Inventor: William Peine
  • Patent number: 11622499
    Abstract: An autonomous mower including a housing; a mowing module, a traveling module, an information collection device, an energy module, a control module and the control module includes an identification unit, and an alarm module. The autonomous mower has a security patrol working mode in which the identification unit analyzes and judges whether an abnormal object exists in the working area according to the information collected by the information collection device; if the abnormal object exists, the control module controls the alarm module to send an alarm signal to the outside. Therefore, the autonomous mower can achieve a security patrol function in addition to having a function of trimming the lawn. The autonomous mower has multiple uses, so as to save the cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: Positec Power Tools (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Fangshi Liu, Yong Shao, Xiahong Zha, Jiaofeng Tian
  • Patent number: 11613014
    Abstract: One variation of a method for autonomously scanning and processing a part includes: collecting a set of images depicting a part positioned within a work zone adjacent a robotic system; assembling the set of images into a part model representing the part. The method includes segmenting areas of the part model—delineated by local radii of curvature, edges, or color boundaries—into target zones for processing by the robotic system and exclusion zones avoided by the robotic system. The method includes: projecting a set of keypoints onto the target zone of part model defining positions, orientations, and target forces of a sanding head applied at locations on the part model; assembling the set of keypoints into a toolpath and projecting the toolpath onto the target zone of the part model; and transmitting the toolpath to a robotic system to execute the toolpath on the part within the work zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: GrayMatter Robotics Inc.
    Inventors: Avadhoot L. Ahire, Rishav Guha, Satyandra K. Gupta, Ariyan M. Kabir, Brual C Shah
  • Patent number: 11613251
    Abstract: A parking assist system includes: an imaging device configured to capture an image of a surrounding of a vehicle; a display device configured to display a surrounding image of the vehicle based on the image captured by the imaging device; and a control device configured to control a display of the display device based on the surrounding image and to calculate a trajectory of the vehicle from a current position to a target position. In a case where the trajectory includes a switching position for steering the vehicle and changing a moving direction thereof and the vehicle is moving toward the switching position, the control device causes the display device to superimpose the switching position on the surrounding image and to hide at least a first part of the trajectory, the first part connecting the switching position and the target position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Yamanaka, Masaaki Kawano
  • Patent number: 11613022
    Abstract: The robot system includes a robot having a robot body and a robot controller configured to control operation of the robot body, and an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of autonomous flight. The unmanned aerial vehicle acquires at least one of image pick-up data of a work of the robot body and positional information of a work object of the robot body, and transmits at least one of the image pick-up data and the positional information to the robot controller. The robot controller receives at least one of the image pick-up data and the positional information of the work object, and controls the operation of the robot body by using at least one of the image pick-up data and the positional information of the work object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2023
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Satoru Hibino
  • Patent number: 11602852
    Abstract: Various embodiments for enforcing safe operation of machinery performing an activity in a three-dimensional (3D) workspace includes computationally generating a 3D spatial representation of the workspace; computationally mapping 3D regions of the workspace corresponding to space occupied by the machinery and a human; and based thereon, restricting operation of the machinery in accordance with a safety protocol during physical performance of the activity. Limited-access zones are defined within which the presence of a human will not affect operation of the machinery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: VEO ROBOTICS, INC.
    Inventors: Marek Wartenberg, Clara Vu, Scott Denenberg, Ilya A. Kriveshko, Zeynep Şeker
  • Patent number: 11602855
    Abstract: An autonomous companion mobile robot and system may complement the intelligence possessed by a user with machine learned intelligence to make a user's life more fulfilling. The robot and system includes a mobile robotic device and a mobile robotic docking station. Either or both of the mobile robotic device and the mobile robotic docking station may operate independently, as well as operating together as a team, as a system. The mobile robotic device may have an external form of a three-dimensional shape, a humanoid, a present or historical person, some fictional character, or some animal. The mobile robotic device and/or the mobile robotic docking station may each include a fog Internet of Things (IoT) gateway processor and a plurality of sensors and input/output devices. The autonomous companion mobile robot and system may collect data from and observe its users and offer suggestions, perform tasks, and present information to its users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: IREPA INTERNATIONAL, LLC
    Inventors: Sanjiv S. Gupta, Izabela Repczynska
  • Patent number: 11597389
    Abstract: A method, medium, and apparatus for educating and reducing risk to inexperienced drivers using vehicles with autonomous navigation systems. Data regarding a driver's past experience with vehicles and operating environments may be used to proactively warn the driver about a potential danger detected or predicted by the vehicle. An autonomous vehicle may prevent the driver from operating the vehicle under unfamiliar circumstances or from causing a collision. Data regarding a driver's past experience with vehicles and the safety features thereof may be used to mitigate risk of injury or property damage by selectively activating safety features in a new vehicle which the driver has not previously driven. Data regarding a driver's past experience with vehicles and safety features thereof may be used to determine a decreased or increased rental rate for a particular vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: ALLSTATE INSURANCE COMPANY
    Inventors: William Polisson, Regina Madigan, Timothy W. Gibson, Surender Kumar, Mark Slusar
  • Patent number: 11590657
    Abstract: The image processing device according to the invention includes: a first acquisition unit to acquire a captured image; a display control unit to display a setting screen to allow to user to set an image processing area, which is an area where predetermine image processing is performed, in the image acquired by the first acquisition unit on a display device; and a second acquisition unit configured to acquire movable range information indicating a movable range of a working device, operations of which are controlled on the basis of a result of the predetermined image processing. The display control unit controls the display of the setting screen so as to cause the user to identify a range in which the working device is not able to operate in the image, on the basis of the movable range information acquired by the second acquisition unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shunsuke Noami, Genki Cho, Hiroto Oka
  • Patent number: 11583358
    Abstract: A method of scaling a desired velocity of a tool of a surgical robot with a processing unit includes receiving an input signal, determining a position of the tool relative to a boundary of a surgical site, and scaling a desired velocity of movement of the tool when the tool is within a predetermined distance of the boundary of the surgical site. The input signal includes the desired velocity of movement of the tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: COVIDIEN LP
    Inventors: William Peine, Mathew Livianu, Burak Yilmaz
  • Patent number: 11577399
    Abstract: A robot system includes a robot, a vision sensor, a target position generation circuit, an estimation circuit, and a control circuit. The robot includes an end effector and is configured to work via the end effector on a workpiece which is disposed at a relative position and which is relatively movable with respect to the end effector. The vision sensor is configured to take an image of the workpiece. The target position generation circuit is configured to, based on the image, generate a target position of the end effector at every generation interval. The estimation circuit is configured to, at least based on relative position information related to the relative position, estimate a change amount in the relative position at every estimation interval. The control circuit is configured to control the robot to move the end effector based on the target position and the change amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA YASKAWA DENKI
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kumagai, Tamio Nakamura
  • Patent number: 11577397
    Abstract: A system and method for improving a position accuracy of a mobile robot is disclosed. A retroreflective device is mounted to the mobile robot and used by an absolute positioning device to use a laser beam to track a position of the mobile robot. The mobile robot receives position measurements. Various optimizations may be performed to support operating the mobile robot over a 360 degree range of azimuthal headings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: DUSTY ROBOTICS, IRC.
    Inventors: Philipp Josef Herget, Shih-Chieh Hsiung, Jeogseop Lee
  • Patent number: 11577396
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, systems, and computer-readable media are provided for visually annotating rendered multi-dimensional representations of robot environments. In various implementations, an entity may be identified that is present with a telepresence robot in an environment. A measure of potential interest of a user in the entity may be calculated based on a record of one or more interactions between the user and one or more computing devices. In some implementations, the one or more interactions may be for purposes other than directly operating the telepresence robot. In various implementations, a multi-dimensional representation of the environment may be rendered as part of a graphical user interface operable by the user to control the telepresence robot. In various implementations, a visual annotation may be selectively rendered within the multi-dimensional representation of the environment in association with the entity based on the measure of potential interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: X DEVELOPMENT LLC
    Inventors: Kyle Moore, Vincent Dureau, Nareshkumar Rajkumar
  • Patent number: 11579613
    Abstract: A method for positioning a robot at start-up includes: when the robot is started up, controlling the robot to rotate in a preset rotation direction in a start-up positioning region; determining position information about a rotation path of the positioning transmitting unit according to the preset rotation direction and a set of at least three different position distances, where the at least three different position distances are between the positioning transmitting unit and the two positioning receiving units disposed at the different fixed positions and are determined during a rotation process; using a direction extending from the center position of the rotation path to a position of the positioning transmitting unit when the robot stops rotation as orientation information of the robot; and using the center position of the rotation path and the orientation information of the robot as start-up positioning information of the robot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: Keenon Robotics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Shuai Ma, Wenfei Zhao, Xue Bai, Yingxuan Li
  • Patent number: 11534923
    Abstract: A package imaging system can be configured to utilize unused or idle degrees of freedom associated with a robot to collect identification and modeling information. One or more sensors can be attached to the robot and configured to track a package between a first location and a second location. A final joint of the robot can be configured to cause one or more rotations of the package within the reference frame. The one or more sensors can capture one or more images of the package within the reference frame. Based on the one or more images, the package imaging system can determine a package identity from an identifier associated with the package. The package imaging system can also generate a three-dimensional model of the package by combining the one or more pictures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Felipe De Arruda Camargo Polido
  • Patent number: 11524407
    Abstract: A robot system includes a robot that self-travels along a traveling shaft and is provided with a position detection sensor at a distal end, a support member that has a plurality of reference positions juxtaposed and supports a workpiece, a plurality of calibration members that are juxtaposed along the traveling shaft, and a control device, in which the calibration members each have a calibration position, and the control device is configured to cause the robot to move by a predetermined first distance along the traveling shaft, calibrate position coordinates of the robot based on position coordinates of the calibration positions detected by the position detection sensor, and subsequently calibrate position coordinates of the workpiece based on position coordinates of the reference positions detected by the position detection sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Naohiro Otsuki, Satoru Yamasumi, Shinsuke Hamatani
  • Patent number: 11520334
    Abstract: A vehicle control system includes at least one imaging device attached to a vehicle and that captures multiple images, and a control circuit that generates a composite image from the multiple images and displays the composite image on a display unit. The vehicle is operated according to a user operation on a portion of the display unit on which the composite image is being displayed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kohtaro Sabe, Peter Duerr
  • Patent number: 11521499
    Abstract: A flight planning system for providing a flight planning tool comprises a memory device for storing flight information and one or more hardware processors configured to: receive a flight plan, access a calendar of events, determine events corresponding to dates associated with the flight plan, and provide a notification of the events on an interactive user interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
    Inventors: Douglas Nolen Shorter, Jr., John Dennis Hamilton, Kimberly Lynn Ocasek, Eric John Rush, Brian Michael Tenberg, John Vance Whitehouse, Sergey Krilov
  • Patent number: 11488421
    Abstract: A method includes generating movement signals indicative of sensed movement of a powered system in one or more directions and generating fluid level signals indicative of a sensed amount of fluid in the powered system. The method also includes, with one or more processors, receiving the movement signals and the fluid level signals from one or more accelerometers and a fluid level sensor, wherein the one or more processors also configured to filter at least some of the movement signals based on a speed at which the powered system operates. The method also includes, with a first antenna of the sensor assembly, wirelessly communicating one or more of the movement signals or the amount of fluid to a remote location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: Transportation IP Holdings, LLC
    Inventors: Bret Worden, Jingjun Zhang, David Peterson
  • Patent number: 11481690
    Abstract: Examples of the present disclosure describe systems and methods for venue detection. In aspects, a mobile device comprising a set of sensors may collect and store sensor data from in response to a detected movement event or user interaction data. The sensor data may be used to generate a set of candidate venues corresponding to the location of the mobile device. The candidate venues may be provided to a venue detection system. The venue detection system may process the candidate venues to generate a set of features. The set of features may be applied to, and/or used to generate, one or more probabilistic models. The probabilistic models may generate confidence metrics for each of the candidate venues. In some aspects, the top ‘N’ venues may be selected from the set. The top ‘N’ venues may then be presented to the user and/or used to effect one or more actions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: Foursquare Labs, Inc.
    Inventors: Cagatay Berk Kapicioglu, Enrique Cruz, Aaron Mitchell, Stephanie Yang