Patents Examined by Todd Melton
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Patent number: 11912137Abstract: A method for assisting a vehicle to tilt includes: receiving a first torque instruction output by a throttle assembly, and generating a second torque instruction, in which the first torque instruction is determined based on a manipulation degree applied to the throttle assembly, and the second torque instruction is determined based on attitude information of the vehicle; performing a weighted summation on the first torque instruction and the second torque instruction based on a first proportional coefficient of the first torque instruction and a second proportional coefficient of the second torque instruction to obtain a third torque instruction; and outputting the third torque instruction to a motor controller, and controlling a tilt angle of the vehicle by the motor controller based on the third torque instruction, in which the tilt angle of the vehicle is less than or equal to a target angle threshold.Type: GrantFiled: July 20, 2021Date of Patent: February 27, 2024Assignee: Ninebot (Beijing) Tech Co., Ltd.Inventors: Yubin Yuan, Qiang Zhang
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Patent number: 11912164Abstract: This disclosure relates to an electrified vehicle with a thermal management system for a battery. A corresponding method is also disclosed. An example electrified vehicle includes a battery and a thermal management system configured to thermally condition the battery at one of a plurality of thermal conditioning levels. Each of the thermal conditioning levels corresponds to a respective one of a plurality of battery temperature thresholds. The electrified vehicle further includes a controller. The controller is configured to determine which of the plurality of battery temperature thresholds is met or exceeded based on a temperature of the battery and to command the thermal management system to thermally condition the battery at corresponding one of the plurality of thermal conditioning levels. Further, when a state of health of the battery is outside a predefined range, the controller is configured to adjust each of the plurality of battery temperature thresholds.Type: GrantFiled: September 27, 2021Date of Patent: February 27, 2024Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Xiaohong Nina Duan, Yanan Zhao, Ming Lang Kuang
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Patent number: 11904701Abstract: Apparatus and method of producing a virtual after-burn effect using a controller in an electric vehicle, may include receiving, by the controller, vehicle driving information during vehicle driving, determining, by the controller, virtual variable information in an internal combustion engine on the basis of the input vehicle driving information, determining, by the controller, a virtual after-burn effect characteristic on the basis of the virtual variable information in an internal combustion engine, outputting, by the controller, a control signal for producing the virtual after-burn effect on the basis of the virtual after-born effect characteristic information, and controlling, by the controller, an operation of an effect-production apparatus configured for producing the virtual after-burn effect on the basis of the control signal.Type: GrantFiled: December 18, 2020Date of Patent: February 20, 2024Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors CorporationInventors: Ji Won Oh, Dong Chul Park, Tae Kun Yun, Jeong Soo Eo
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Patent number: 11908250Abstract: A tire damage detection method includes a tire damage detection stage comprising: outputting quantities indicative of speeds of a vehicle and a corresponding wheel from an acquisition device to a processing device; computing, based on the received quantities, a normalized wheel speed indicative of a ratio of the wheel speed to the vehicle speed; and detecting a potential damage to a tire based on a predefined tire damage model and on the normalized wheel speed. A preliminary stage comprises: performing tests involving test tire impacts against/on different obstacles at different vehicle speeds; measuring/acquiring test-related wheel and vehicle speeds during the performed tests; computing test-related normalized wheel speeds based on the test-related wheel and vehicle speeds; and determining the predefined tire damage model to be used in the tire damage detection stage based on the test-related normalized wheel speeds and the test-related vehicle speeds that correspond to the test tire impacts.Type: GrantFiled: May 27, 2019Date of Patent: February 20, 2024Assignee: Bridgestone Europe NV/SAInventors: Marco Pascucci, Lorenzo Alleva
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Patent number: 11904877Abstract: A vehicle and a method of operating a system operably connected to a personal medical device having a sensor is provided. The vehicle includes an indicator device having at least one of an audio device or visual indicator device. A medical device display interface is coupled to communicate with the personal medical device. A controller is operably coupled to the medical device display interface and the indicator device. The controller is operable to receive a first signal from the medical device display interface and activate the indicator device in response to the first signal including data regarding an undesired condition.Type: GrantFiled: September 23, 2022Date of Patent: February 20, 2024Inventor: Arnold Chase
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Patent number: 11908328Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for determining whether a driving environment has changed relative to previously stored information about the driving environment. The apparatus may include an autonomous driving computer system configured to detect one or more vehicles in the driving environment, and determine corresponding trajectories for those detected vehicles. The autonomous driving computer system may then compare the determined trajectories to an expected trajectory of a hypothetical vehicle in the driving environment. Based on the comparison, the autonomous driving computer system may determine whether the driving environment has changed and/or a probability that the driving environment has changed, relative to the previously stored information about the driving environment.Type: GrantFiled: March 16, 2023Date of Patent: February 20, 2024Assignee: Waymo LLCInventor: David Ian Franklin Ferguson
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Patent number: 11904832Abstract: A system for controlling vehicle power using big data is provided. The system includes a big data server that receives vehicle driving related data, processes and analyzes the received data to generate a driving power pattern of the vehicle, and stores the driving power pattern. A vehicle controller determines whether to limit charging/discharging power of a battery based on continuous charging/discharging time or an accumulation amount of continuous charging/discharging power of the battery and calculates battery charging/discharging power to be limited based on the driving power pattern received from the big data server when the charging/discharging power of the battery is limited.Type: GrantFiled: November 16, 2020Date of Patent: February 20, 2024Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors CorporationInventor: Hyun Soo Park
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Patent number: 11897607Abstract: Methods, systems and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media for unmanned aerial vehicle beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flight operations. In an embodiment, a flight planning system of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can identify handoff zones along a UAV flight corridor for transferring control of the UAV between ground control stations. The start of the handoff zones can be determined prior to a flight or while the UAV is in flight. For handoff zones determined prior to flight, the flight planning system can identify suitable locations to place a ground control station (GCS). The handoff zone can be based on a threshold visual line of sight range between a controlling GCS and the UAV. For determining handoff zones while in flight, the UAV can monitor RF signals from each GCS participating in the handoff to determine the start of a handoff period.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2021Date of Patent: February 13, 2024Assignee: Skydio, Inc.Inventors: Bernard J. Michini, Logan Kaminski, Edward Dale Steakley
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Patent number: 11901594Abstract: A method for operating a motor vehicle includes the steps of registering a maximum dynamics requirement and adapting the idling operating mode of a fuel cell system of the motor vehicle on the basis of the maximum dynamics requirement. In the first maximum dynamics requirement, lower dynamics are required than in the second maximum dynamics requirement. In the first maximum dynamics requirement, the fuel cell system is operated in a first idling operating mode. In the second maximum dynamics requirement the fuel cell system is operated in a second idling operating mode. The fuel cell system is operated more efficiently in the first idling operating mode than in the second idling operating mode.Type: GrantFiled: January 28, 2020Date of Patent: February 13, 2024Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AktiengesellschaftInventors: Frank David, Juergen Thyroff
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Patent number: 11899114Abstract: A soft-constraint technique for refining an initial pose graph may eschew using a hard constraint that identifies different sensor data and/or poses as necessarily being associated with a same portion of an environment. Instead, the soft-constraint technique may employ a loss function with a convergence basin that may be defined based at least in part on an object classification that strongly penalizes candidate locations within a distance associated with the convergence basin. These candidate locations may be based at least in part on one or more object detections associated (1:1) with one or more poses of the initial pose graph. This may result in one or more candidate locations that do not merge with other candidate locations, giving the pose graph optimization the permissiveness or softness according to the techniques described herein.Type: GrantFiled: May 31, 2022Date of Patent: February 13, 2024Assignee: ZOOX, INC.Inventors: Till Kroeger, Veeresh Taranalli, Michael Carsten Bosse
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Patent number: 11899462Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to validating motion plans for autonomous vehicles. In particular, the methods, devices, and systems of the present disclosure can: receive data indicating a motion plan of an autonomous vehicle through an environment of the autonomous vehicle; receive data indicating one or more inputs utilized in generating the motion plan; and determine, based at least in part on the data indicating the motion plan and the data indicating the input(s), whether execution of the motion plan by the autonomous vehicle would violate one or more predetermined constraints applicable to motion plans for the autonomous vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: January 12, 2022Date of Patent: February 13, 2024Assignee: UATC, LLCInventors: Moslem Kazemi, Anthony Joseph Stentz
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Patent number: 11900693Abstract: Methods and devices for using a relationship between activities of different traffic signals in a network to improve traffic signal state estimation are disclosed. An example method includes determining that a vehicle is approaching an upcoming traffic signal. The method may further include determining a state of one or more traffic signals other than the upcoming traffic signal. Additionally, the method may also include determining an estimate of a state of the upcoming traffic signal based on a relationship between the state of the one or more traffic signals other than the upcoming traffic signal and the state of the upcoming traffic signal.Type: GrantFiled: January 5, 2023Date of Patent: February 13, 2024Assignee: Waymo LLCInventors: David I. Ferguson, Bradley Templeton
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Patent number: 11897548Abstract: An airflow adjusting apparatus to be provided in a vehicle includes a road clearance detector, an airflow generator, and a processor. The vehicle includes a vehicle body, a wheel attached to the vehicle body to be partly protruded downward from the vehicle body, and a suspension that holds the wheel to permit the wheel to make a vertical stroke relative to the vehicle body. The road clearance detector is configured to detect a road clearance. The road clearance is a vertical distance from a road surface to an underside of the vehicle body. The airflow generator is provided in an underneath of the vehicle body, and configured to generate an airflow. The processor is configured to allow the airflow generator to generate a downward airflow having a downward speed component, on the condition that the road clearance has been on the increase.Type: GrantFiled: July 7, 2021Date of Patent: February 13, 2024Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATIONInventors: Naoto Watanabe, Yusaku Dogahira
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Patent number: 11897449Abstract: A vehicle control system includes a transmission unit, first and second sources, as well as first, second, and third control units. The first control unit controls the transmission unit. The first source inputs energy to the transmission unit. The second source inputs energy to the transmission unit. The second control unit controls the first source. The third control unit controls the second source. The first control unit has a function of continuing an operation when a failure occurs. The second control unit and the third control unit have a common cause failure measure. The function mixes energy from different sources and transmits energy to the driving wheel.Type: GrantFiled: July 7, 2020Date of Patent: February 13, 2024Assignee: Hitachi Astemo, Ltd.Inventors: Nobuyasu Kanekawa, Atsushi Arata
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Patent number: 11892482Abstract: A method includes determining, by a controller, a presence of an available electrical energy quantity generated from an energy generation event; comparing, by the controller, the available electrical energy quantity to an available energy capacity of a battery storage system; and responsive to determining the available electrical energy quantity exceeds the available energy capacity of the battery storage system, causing, by the controller, a transmission of at least a portion of the available energy quantity to a heat management system.Type: GrantFiled: September 23, 2022Date of Patent: February 6, 2024Assignee: Cummins Inc.Inventors: Martin T. Books, Craig M. Calmer, Robert Dziuba, Mahesh Madurai-Kumar, Praveen Chitradurga Muralidhar, John P. O'Brien, Joseph E. Paquette, Gary L. Parker, Anthony K. Perfetto, Jeffrey S. Rauch, Zachary Schwab, Jon S. Wardlow
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Patent number: 11884123Abstract: A vehicle integrated control method includes determining a road surface status, determining a vehicle status, determining an integrated control mode by determining a control status of an electronic control suspension and a motion of a sprung mass and an unsprung mass based on the determination results of the road surface status and the vehicle status, and controlling the electronic control suspension and an in-wheel system by determining a control amount based on the determined integrated control mode.Type: GrantFiled: May 29, 2020Date of Patent: January 30, 2024Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors CorporationInventor: Sung Wook Hwang
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Patent number: 11886194Abstract: Included is a surface cleaning service system including: one or more robotic surface cleaning devices, each including: a chassis; a set of wheels; one or more motors to drive the wheels; one or more processors; one or more sensors; and a network interface card, wherein the one or more processors of each of the one or more robotic surface cleaning devices determine respective usage data. A control system or the one or more processors of each of the one or more robotic surface cleaning devices is configured to associate each usage data with a particular corresponding robotic surface cleaning device of the one or more robotic surface cleaning devices.Type: GrantFiled: October 26, 2021Date of Patent: January 30, 2024Assignee: AI IncorporatedInventor: Ali Ebrahimi Afrouzi
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Patent number: 11884275Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for controlling a vehicle in association with a descent, the vehicle having a powertrain comprising: a drive unit configured to provide propulsion power; an auxiliary brake device; and a first cooling circuit comprising a first coolant; wherein the drive unit and the auxiliary brake device are arranged to be selectively connected or disconnected with/from the first cooling circuit, wherein the drive unit has a first maximum temperature and the auxiliary brake device has a second maximum temperature higher than the first maximum temperature, the method comprising: controlling the drive unit to reduce the provided propulsion power when the vehicle is approaching an upcoming descent, which fulfils predetermined criteria; disconnecting the drive unit from the first cooling circuit; connecting the auxiliary brake device with the first cooling circuit; and controlling the auxiliary brake device to brake to vehicle down the descent.Type: GrantFiled: February 12, 2020Date of Patent: January 30, 2024Assignee: Scania CV ABInventor: Ola Hall
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Patent number: 11884278Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatuses for controlling components of a vehicle are provided. The vehicle can include a data processing system (“DPS”) including one or more processors and memory. The DPS can receive sensor data from sensors of the vehicle. The DPS can determine a vehicle body height. The DPS can determine a vehicle roll angle. The DPS can determine a first height of a road and a second height or the road. The DPS can determine a road height based on the first height of the road and the second height of the road. The DPS can provide the road height to a controller of one or more vehicles. The DPS can adjust the component of the one or more vehicles.Type: GrantFiled: June 2, 2021Date of Patent: January 30, 2024Assignee: SHENZHEN GUDSEN TECHNOLOGY CO., LTDInventors: Chenyong Guan, Yu Jiang
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Patent number: 11884324Abstract: A method includes identifying at least a portion of a surface that has a coefficient of friction that is less than a coefficient of friction threshold. The method also incudes determining whether a vehicle speed is greater than a vehicle speed threshold, and determining whether an operator of the vehicle is engaging a handwheel of the vehicle. The method also includes, generating a first alert signal, selectively adjusting at least one steering characteristic of a steering system of the vehicle from a first value to a second value, and, in response to at least one of a reduction in the vehicle speed and a distance between the vehicle and the portion of the surface having the coefficient of friction being less than a distance threshold, selectively adjusting the at least one steering characteristic from the second value to the first value.Type: GrantFiled: May 20, 2022Date of Patent: January 30, 2024Assignee: Steering Solutions IP Holding CorporationInventors: Farhad Bolourchi, Zaki Ryne, Juliette M. Rambourg, Lei Wang