Patents Examined by Thomas Ingram
  • Patent number: 11886968
    Abstract: A method for calculating a time to contact of an autonomous vehicle, the method comprising: obtaining a plurality of event data an image, wherein the event data is associated with a pixel associated with a change in light intensity; determining a reference signal frequency associated with a transmitted light; identifying a select event data from the plurality of event data, wherein the light frequency associated with the select event data is substantially the same as the reference signal frequency; determining an object based on the select event data, wherein the object is fully enclosed by a bounding box comprising coordinates of a rectangular border; calculating a distance between a set of coordinates of the bounding box closest to the autonomous vehicle and the autonomous vehicle; and calculating the time to contact between the set of coordinates of the bounding box and the autonomous vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Leobardo Emmanuel Campos Macias, Rafael de la Guardia Gonzalez, Anthony Kyung Guzman Leguel, David Gomez Gutierrez, Jose Ignacio Parra Vilchis
  • Patent number: 11884181
    Abstract: A method for determining a minimum state of charge for an energy storage means of a vehicle can include: determining a routine of use of charge of the energy storage means; determining a user requirement for future driving of the vehicle; predicting a reduction in the state of charge of the energy storage means associated with the user requirement in dependence on the determined routine; determining a minimum state of charge for the energy storage means for enabling the user requirement to be satisfied in dependence on the predicted reduction; and providing an output to the user indicative of a time requirement for increasing the state of charge of the energy storage means to a value at or above the minimum state of charge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited
    Inventors: Lech Andrzej Birek, James Aggiss, Krzysztof Kobylinski, Prasun Chokshi
  • Patent number: 11873003
    Abstract: An autonomous vehicle incorporating a multimodal multi-technique signal fusion system is described herein. The signal fusion system is configured to receive at least one sensor signal that is output by at least one sensor system (multimodal), such as at least one image sensor signal from at least one camera. The at least one sensor signal is provided to a plurality of object detector modules of different types (multi-technique), such as an absolute detector module and a relative activation detector module, that generate independent directives based on the at least one sensor signal. The independent directives are fused by a signal fusion module to output a fused directive for controlling the autonomous vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Clement Creusot, Sarthak Sahu, Matthias Wisniowski
  • Patent number: 11866056
    Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure provide systems and methods for ballistically estimating vehicle data. The system may include a communication interface configured to receive a first vehicle measurement taken at a first time point and a second vehicle measurement taken at a second time point. The system may further include at least one processor. The at least one processor may be configured to estimate a first version of vehicle data at a first speed for each of the second time point and a plurality of intermediate time points between the first time point and the second time point based on the first vehicle measurement using a prediction model. The at least one processor may be further configured to compute a second version of vehicle data at a second speed for the second time point based on the second vehicle measurement. The first speed is faster than the second speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: BEIJING VOYAGER TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Zafar Takhirov, Qi Chen
  • Patent number: 11858510
    Abstract: A vehicle drive assist apparatus includes an external environment recognizer, a traveling environment recognizer, and a processor. The traveling environment recognizer recognizes travel lane sides of dividing lines defining a travel lane as two approximate lines each in a linear form based on the image data on a traveling environment acquired by the external environment recognizer. When a static three-dimensional object has been continuously detected on or near one of dividing lines based on the image data, the processor sets a virtual approximate line by correcting the lateral position of the approximate line of the one of the dividing lines in a direction apart from the static three-dimensional object toward the middle of the travel lane by a predetermined correction amount, and sets a target travel course in the middle between the virtual approximate line and the approximate line of the other of the dividing lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Keisuke Motegi, Masatoshi Minakawa
  • Patent number: 11860629
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides systems and methods that apply neural networks such as, for example, convolutional neural networks, to sparse imagery in an improved manner. For example, the systems and methods of the present disclosure can be included in or otherwise leveraged by an autonomous vehicle. In one example, a computing system can extract one or more relevant portions from imagery, where the relevant portions are less than an entirety of the imagery. The computing system can provide the relevant portions of the imagery to a machine-learned convolutional neural network and receive at least one prediction from the machine-learned convolutional neural network based at least in part on the one or more relevant portions of the imagery. Thus, the computing system can skip performing convolutions over regions of the imagery where the imagery is sparse and/or regions of the imagery that are not relevant to the prediction being sought.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: UATC, LLC
    Inventors: Raquel Urtasun, Mengye Ren, Andrei Pokrovsky, Bin Yang
  • Patent number: 11851088
    Abstract: In one embodiment, method for determining capability boundary of a safety redundancy of an autonomous driving vehicle (ADV) includes obtaining a sensor layout associated with the ADV representing a system having a plurality of sensors mounted on a plurality of locations of the ADV. A zone failure risk of one or more sensors within the predetermined zones is estimated based on statistical operational data of the one or more sensors for each of the plurality of predetermined zones. An overall failure risk of the sensors is determined based on the zone failure risks of the predetermined zones based on relative locations of the sensors across the predetermined zones. A dynamic risk adjustment is determined based on the overall failure risk of the sensors, the dynamic risk adjustment representing a reliability of a sensor system associated with the ADV for estimating a safety of autonomous driving of the ADV.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: BAIDU USA LLC
    Inventors: Xiaodong Liu, Ning Qu
  • Patent number: 11853057
    Abstract: An electric unmanned aerial vehicle includes a position sensor configured to obtain first coordinate information of a present position of the electric unmanned aerial vehicle in real-time, a memory configured to store second coordinate information of a preset position of the electric unmanned aerial vehicle, and a controller in communication with the position sensor and the memory. The controller is configured to calculate, based on the first coordinate information and the second coordinate information, safety electricity amount information of the electric unmanned aerial vehicle; select, based on the safety electricity amount information and a present remaining electricity amount of the electric unmanned aerial vehicle, a safety protection command from a plurality of safety protection commands; and control the electric unmanned aerial vehicle to perform the selected safety protection command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: SZ DJI TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Renli Shi, Jianyu Song, Xi Chen
  • Patent number: 11845498
    Abstract: A control method for a rear wheel steering apparatus of a vehicle adjusts current applied to a rear wheel steering (RWS) actuator by determining a compensation current value based on the aging of devices installed in the RWS actuator installed in the rear wheel steering apparatus, and further adjusts the current applied to the RWS actuator with a compensation current value based on the friction of the devices installed in the RWS actuator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA MOTORS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Jong-Min Kim
  • Patent number: 11840227
    Abstract: A vehicle control device configured to recognize a surrounding situation of a host vehicle, control at least a speed of the host vehicle based on the surrounding situation, determine a target relative position between two other vehicles in a state in which there is no vehicle in a second lane when the host vehicle is allowed to perform merge-point-related movement or a lane change from a first lane to the second lane, determine a target speed serving as a target when the host vehicle reaches the target relative position, and adjust the speed of the host vehicle according to pole-assignment control based on a position deviation that is a deviation between the target relative position and a position of the host vehicle in a road extension direction and a vehicle speed deviation that is a deviation between the speed of the host vehicle and the target speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yuji Yasui
  • Patent number: 11842645
    Abstract: A method of communicating between a rotary wing platform and a ground terminal via a satellite. The method comprises, at the rotary wing platform, receiving a forward link signal transmitted by the satellite; on the basis of the received forward link signal, estimating at least one obstruction characteristic associated with obstruction of a signal transmission path between the rotary wing platform and the satellite by one or more blades of the rotary wing platform; determining a plurality of time periods during which the at least one obstruction characteristic indicates that the signal transmission path will not be obstructed by the one or more blades of the rotary wing platform; and transmitting to the satellite a bursted carrier return link signal comprising a plurality of bursts, wherein each burst in the plurality of bursts is transmitted during one of the determined time periods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space Limited
    Inventors: Mark Bowyer, Michael Pritchard, Howard Jackson
  • Patent number: 11835964
    Abstract: A method for determining a high-density platooning (HDPL) driving maneuver which includes selecting an HDPL closing maneuver, and selecting an HDPL opening maneuver. Closing maneuver means a maneuver with which the inter-vehicle distance between platoon members is decreased. Opening maneuver means a maneuver with which the inter-vehicle distance between platoon members is increased. The method also includes testing the selected HDPL maneuvers in terms of energy consumption taking into account a predicted quality of service (QoS) of a vehicle-to-vehicle V2V communication link for the communication between the platoon members. In response to the selected HDPL driving maneuvers not fulfilling the test criteria, the method waits a time and then selects an HDPL closing maneuver and an HDPL opening maneuver and tests the newly chosen HDPL maneuver again.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Inventors: Guillaume Jornod, Andreas Pfadler
  • Patent number: 11828039
    Abstract: A shovel includes a lower traveling body, an upper turning body turnably mounted on the lower traveling body, a cab mounted on the upper turning body, an attachment attached to the upper turning body, a hardware processor, and a display device. The hardware processor is configured to move the end attachment of the attachment relative to an intended work surface with the ground being pressed with a predetermined force by the working part of the end attachment, in response to a predetermined operation input related to the attachment. The display device is configured to display information on an irregularity of the ground.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: SUMITOMO CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Tsukamoto, Takashi Nishi
  • Patent number: 11827230
    Abstract: A system and method of detecting an anti-circumvention attempt associated with an ignition interlock device of a vehicle. The method comprises detecting an electrical parameter associated with an electrical power state of the vehicle electrical system that includes the ignition interlock device having at least a relay device and a controller device electrically interconnected within the vehicle electrical system; comparing, responsive to the detecting, the electrical parameter to a threshold condition; inferring an IID circumvention event in accordance with the electrical parameter being one of above and below the threshold condition, and reporting, responsive to the inferring, the IID circumvention event to a central monitoring server computing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: Consumer Safety Technology, LLC
    Inventors: David Livingston Smith, Carol A. Vokes
  • Patent number: 11820399
    Abstract: Provided is a vehicle capable of performing safe and efficient autonomous driving by acquiring accurate information about surrounding objects based on behavior control of the vehicle. The vehicle includes: a camera configured to acquire a surrounding image of the vehicle which includes one or more objects; at least one sensor configured to acquire position data of the one or more objects; and a controller configured to identify identification areas respectively corresponding to the one or more objects based on the surrounding image and the position data, and if a part of the identification area overlaps an occlusion area, control the vehicle to separate the identification area and the occlusion area from each other, to perform autonomous driving.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA CORPORATION, HYUNDAI AUTOEVER CORP.
    Inventors: Daegil Cho, Seung Hwan Shin, Bong-Ju Kim
  • Patent number: 11821161
    Abstract: A shovel includes a lower traveling body, an upper turning body turnably mounted on the lower traveling body, a cab mounted on the upper turning body, an attachment attached to the upper turning body, a hardware processor, and a display device. The hardware processor is configured to move the end attachment of the attachment relative to an intended work surface in response to a predetermined operation input related to the attachment. The display device is configured to display information on the hardness of the ground.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: SUMITOMO CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Tsukamoto, Takashi Nishi
  • Patent number: 11820369
    Abstract: A lane departure prevention apparatus (17) has: a departure preventing device (172) for preventing a vehicle (1) from departing from a driving lane by controlling at least one of a steering apparatus (142) and a braking apparatus (13) selected on the basis of a state of the vehicle, when it is determined that the vehicle may depart from the driving lane; and a determining device for determining whether or not an abnormality condition that it is difficult for a person to normally drive the vehicle is satisfied, the departure preventing device prevents the vehicle from departing from the driving lane by controlling the braking apparatus even if the state of the vehicle is not a predetermined state in which the departure preventing device should prevent the vehicle from departing from the driving lane by controlling the braking apparatus, when it is determined that the abnormality condition is satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masayuki Ikeda, Ryo Inomata, Akira Nagae, Hironori Ito
  • Patent number: 11801836
    Abstract: A computer includes a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to collect operation data of one or more components of a vehicle, input the collected operation data and previously stored operation data to a first machine learning program that assigns the collected operation data to one of a plurality of previously determined paths and outputs a target fuel consumption rate of the vehicle based on the assigned path, input the target fuel consumption rate and the collected operation data to a second machine learning program that outputs a plurality of operation settings of the one or more components to attain the target fuel consumption rate, and actuate the one or more components to attain the plurality of operation settings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Lijun Wang, Chen Zhang, Rebecca Kreucher
  • Patent number: 11801828
    Abstract: A parking assistance device includes a recognition part that is configured to acquire recognition information through recognition of surroundings of a host vehicle, a maneuver controller that is configured to perform maneuver control to park the host vehicle in a parking region based on the recognition information, a maintain stop position controller that is configured to keep the host vehicle stationary after the host vehicle is stopped by the maneuver control of the maneuver controller until a predetermined operation is received from a driver, a determination part that is configured to determine a type of the parking region in which the host vehicle is to be parked with the maneuver controller; and a decision part that is configured to determine, in accordance with the type of the parking region that is determined by the determination part, a parking reference location that is used to park the host vehicle in the parking region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yuki Hara, Hiroshi Yamanaka, Yasushi Shoda, Syoichi Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 11803186
    Abstract: Aspects of the disclosed technology provide solutions for performing vehicle routing based on road quality data. In some approaches, a process of the technology can include steps for collecting road quality data using at least one vehicle-mounted sensor, identifying two or more routes to a destination location, receiving historical road quality data associated with the two or more routes to the destination location, and calculating a damage projection associated with each of the two or more routes to the destination location, wherein the damage projection is based on the historical road quality data for at least one of the two or more routes to the destination location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: GM Cruise Holdings LLC
    Inventor: Stephanie Olivia Engle