Patents Examined by Tristan J Greiner
  • Patent number: 11964669
    Abstract: Provided are autonomous vehicles and methods of controlling autonomous vehicles through topological planning with bounds, including receiving map data and sensor data, expanding a topological tree by adding a plurality of nodes to represent a plurality of actions associated with the plurality of constraints, generating a bound based on a constraint in the geographic area, the bound associated with an action for navigating the autonomous vehicle relative to the at least one constraint, storing the bound in a central bound storage, linking a set of bounds of a tree node to the bound via a bound identifier, wherein the first bound is initially linked as an active bound, or alternatively, as an inactive bound after determining it is not the most restrictive bound at any sample index, and control the autonomous vehicle based on the topological tree, to navigate the plurality of constraints.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Argo AI, LLC
    Inventors: Neal Andrew Seegmiller, Patrick Stirling Barone, Arek Viko Sredzki
  • Patent number: 11958503
    Abstract: Systems and methods for selecting a trajectory for an autonomous vehicle based on perceived risk are provided. A trajectory is selected that satisfies objective safety constraints and minimizes an overall cost based at least in part on cost components representing the perceived risk of the trajectory. The vehicle is navigated according to the selected (e.g., optimized) trajectory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: Motional AD LLC
    Inventors: Boaz Cornelis Floor, Marc Dominik Heim
  • Patent number: 11939014
    Abstract: A system for adjusting steering damping based on sound frequency analysis includes: an acoustic main body configured to play music and determine whether the music is being played; a sound collection device configured to collect a sound signal of the music being played; a sound frequency analysis device configured to receive the sound signal of the music collected by the sound collection device and determine whether the collected music has a strong beat; and a power steering electronic control unit electrically connected to the sound frequency analysis device and configured to receive a determination result of the sound frequency analysis device and adjust the steering damping according to the received determination result of the sound frequency analysis device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Corporation
    Inventors: Zai Xu Zhang, Rui Song, Xu Meng Xu, Seoktae Son, Jie Hui Huang
  • Patent number: 11926346
    Abstract: In various examples, a yield scenario may be identified for a first vehicle. A wait element is received that encodes a first path for the first vehicle to traverse a yield area and a second path for a second vehicle to traverse the yield area. The first path is employed to determine a first trajectory in the yield area for the first vehicle based at least on a first location of the first vehicle at a time and the second path is employed to determine a second trajectory in the yield area for the second vehicle based at least on a second location of the second vehicle at the time. To operate the first vehicle in accordance with a wait state, it may be determined whether there is a conflict between the first trajectory and the second trajectory, where the wait state defines a yielding behavior for the first vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventors: Fangkai Yang, David Nister, Yizhou Wang, Rotem Aviv, Julia Ng, Birgit Henke, Hon Leung Lee, Yunfei Shi
  • Patent number: 11929157
    Abstract: A method of transporting equipment modules to an incident scene with an comprises: determining an initial location of the incident scene; dispatching an ambulance loaded with the autonomous mobile response unit and a plurality of equipment modules to the initial location; determining a refined location of the incident scene; selecting a first equipment module; dispensing the first equipment module from the ambulance onto the autonomous mobile response unit; deploying the autonomous mobile response unit from the ambulance at the initial location; communicating the refined location of the incident scene to the autonomous mobile response unit; generating, with the navigation system, a drive path from the initial location to the refined location; and driving, with the drive system, the autonomous mobile response unit loaded with the first equipment module based on the drive path such that the autonomous mobile response unit travels from the initial location to the refined location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: Stryker Corporation
    Inventors: Brandon David Naber, Scott Zufall, Jeffrey S. Dunfee, II
  • Patent number: 11912360
    Abstract: A vehicle control method for controlling a vehicle including executing a front wheel and a rear wheel including: front wheel-only steering operation control for turning the front wheel without turning the rear wheel in response to a steering instruction from a driving entity; executing rear wheel-only steering operation control for turning the rear wheel without turning the front wheel in response to the steering instruction from the driving entity; and executing a specified control execution process for executing one type of steering operation control specified by the driving entity among a plurality of types of steering operation control including at least the front wheel-only steering operation control and the rear wheel-only steering operation control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hideki Okano, Hisashi Somada
  • Patent number: 11892308
    Abstract: A system for determining and presenting visual representations includes a receiving module configured to receive a set of coordinates representing one or more geographic locations of one or more features of interest, and an analysis module configured to define a region corresponding to the set of coordinates, the region having an extent based on a level of uncertainty associated with the one or more features of interest. The system also includes a visualization module configured to generate a visual representation of the defined region and present the visual representation on a map.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Joseph Jang, Evan Stoddart, Vladimir Novikov, Henry Warren Grasman, Sean Douglas Vermillion, Rahul Patel, Andrea Rochelle Wharry
  • Patent number: 11878423
    Abstract: A robot system includes a robot body, a memory, an operation controlling module, a manipulator, and a limit range setting module configured to set a limit range of the corrective manipulation by the manipulator. The operation controlling module executes a given limiting processing when a corrective manipulation is performed beyond the limit range from an operational position based on automatic operation information. The limit range setting module calculates a positional deviation between the operational position based on the automatic operation information before the correction and an operational position based on the corrected operation information, and when the positional deviation is at or below a first threshold, narrows the limit range in the next corrective manipulation by the manipulator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Hashimoto, Shigetsugu Tanaka, Masayuki Kamon, Yoshihiko Maruyama
  • Patent number: 11865722
    Abstract: A programmable motion system is disclosed that includes a dynamic end effector system. The dynamic end effector system includes a plurality of acquisition units that are provided at an exchange station within an area accessible by the programmable motion device, and a coupling system for coupling any of the plurality of acquisition units to an end effector of the programmable motion device such that any of the acquisition units may be automatically selected from the exchange station and used by the programmable motion device without requiring any activation or actuation by the exchange station and without requiring any intervention by a human.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Berkshire Grey Operating Company, Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph Romano, William Chu-Hyon McMahan, Benjamin Cohen, Andrew Gauthier, Matthew T. Mason, Thomas Wagner, Prasanna Velagapudi, Michael Dawson-Haggerty
  • Patent number: 11851062
    Abstract: A method includes identifying, based on grade data of a route of an autonomous vehicle (AV), a segment of the route that has a grade value that meets a threshold grade value. Responsive to identifying the segment, the method further includes generating, based on the grade data and physical vehicle data of the AV, driving constraint data for the segment of the route. The method further includes causing a routing module of the AV to generate, based on the driving constraint data for the segment of the route, short time horizon routing data corresponding to a portion of the segment. The AV is to travel the portion of the segment of the route based on the short time horizon routing data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventors: David Smith, Kevin Yoon
  • Patent number: 11845469
    Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure relate to controlling a vehicle having an autonomous driving mode. For instance, a current state of a traffic light may be determined. One of a plurality of yellow light durations may be selected based on the current state of the traffic light. When the traffic light will turn red may be predicted based on the selected one. The prediction may be used to control the vehicle in the autonomous driving mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventors: Edward Hsiao, Maoqing Yao, David Margines, Yosuke Higashi
  • Patent number: 11833694
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for planning a path of motion for a robot. In some implementations, a candidate path of movement is determined for each of multiple robots. A swept region, for each of the multiple robots, is determined that the robot would traverse through along its candidate path. At least some of the swept regions for the multiple robots is aggregated to determine amounts of overlap among the swept regions at different locations. Force vectors directed outward from the swept regions are assigned, wherein the force vectors have different magnitudes assigned according to the respective amounts of overlap of the swept regions at the different locations. A path for a particular robot to travel is determined based on the swept regions and the assigned magnitudes of the forces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Intrinsic Innovation LLC
    Inventors: Jean-Francois Dupuis, Keegan Go, Maryam Bandari
  • Patent number: 11834045
    Abstract: The subject matter described in this specification is directed to a system and techniques for operating an autonomous vehicle (AV) at a multi-way stop intersection. After detecting the AV is at a primary stopline of the multi-way stop intersection, a planned travel path though the multi-way stop intersection is obtained. If the planned travel path of the AV through the multi-way stop intersection satisfies a set of one or more clearance criteria, the AV proceeds past the primary stopline. The clearance criteria include a criterion that is satisfied in response to detecting the AV is clear to safely merge into a travel lane corresponding to the planned travel path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: Motional AD LLC
    Inventor: Scott Drew Pendleton
  • Patent number: 11835346
    Abstract: In a route output apparatus, a route searcher is configured to search for a route from a designated departure point to an arrival point with use of a graph including a plurality of nodes and at least one link connecting the nodes and representing map information. A converter is configured to convert coordinates of a point on the graph identified based on a plurality of nodes representing the route searched by the route searcher into a latitude and a longitude. An outputter is configured to output the latitude and longitude calculated by the converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2023
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takashi Komaru
  • Patent number: 11827243
    Abstract: Described herein are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable media for implementing automated vehicle safety response measures to ensure continued safe automated vehicle operation for a limited period of time after a vehicle component or vehicle system that supports an automated vehicle driving function fails. When a critical vehicle component/system such as a vehicle computing platform fails, the vehicle is likely no longer capable of performing calculations required to safely operate and navigate the vehicle in an autonomous manner, or at a minimum, is no longer able to ensure the accuracy of such calculations. In such a scenario, the automated vehicle safety response measures disclosed herein can ensure—despite failure of the vehicle component/system—continued safe automated operation of the vehicle for a limited period of time in order to bring the vehicle to a safe stop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: Pony AI Inc.
    Inventors: Bokai Chen, Qi Wang, Daniel Yang
  • Patent number: 11827245
    Abstract: System, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to a control system to improve estimating motion for an automated vehicle related to cooperative driving. In one embodiment, a method includes monitoring, by an ego vehicle, a communication link for motion data of a target vehicle, used in a model to determine motion, for motion planning by the ego vehicle. The method also includes estimating trajectory of the target vehicle according to a motion estimate by the model when criteria for the communication link are unsatisfied. The method also includes adjusting the motion estimate using a modified model, adapted for speed of the target vehicle, when the criteria for the communication link are satisfied. The method also includes controlling the ego vehicle according to the trajectory and the motion estimate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Ziran Wang, Kyungtae Han, Prashant Tiwari
  • Patent number: 11820400
    Abstract: A monitoring system detects and mitigates traffic risks among a group of vehicles. The group of vehicles includes a ground-based vehicle (GBV), e.g. an automotive vehicle, and an air-based vehicle (ABV), e.g. a drone, which is operated to track a ground-based object (GBO), e.g. an unprotected road user or an animal. The monitoring system performs a method comprising: obtaining (301) predicted navigation data for the ground-based vehicle and the air-based vehicle, processing (302) the predicted navigation data to obtain one or more future locations of the ground based-object and to detect an upcoming spatial proximity between the ground-based object and the ground-based vehicle, and causing (305), upon detection of the upcoming spatial proximity, an alert signal to be provided to at least one of the ground-based object and the ground-based vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Ola Thörn, Peter Exner, Shaun Lee
  • Patent number: 11814120
    Abstract: A data processing system including a data processing apparatus that can generate an accurate road surface displacement correlating value that is used for a preview damping control is provided. The system includes a cloud having a data processing section and a processing-data-base-section for temporally storing data. The data processing apparatus stores sensing data in the processing-data-base-section, wherein the sensing data is a chunk of sensor values from which a road surface displacement correlating value correlating with a vertical displacement of a road surface on which said vehicle is traveling can be calculated. The sensor values are sequentially and successively detected/obtained by various sensors of the vehicle. The data processing section performs specific offline data processing for a chunk of the sensing data stored in the processing-data-base-section so as to generate data of the road surface displacement correlating value from the sensing data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hiroki Furuta
  • Patent number: 11767181
    Abstract: A gripper including: an orientation sensor configured to generate an orientation reading for a target object; a first grasping blade and a second grasping blade configured to secure the target object in conjunction with the first grasping blade and at an opposite end of the target object relative to the first grasping blade; a first position sensor, of the first grasping blade, configured to generate a first position reading of the first grasping blade relative to the target object; a second position sensor, of the second grasping blade, configured to generate a second position reading of the second grasping blade relative to the target object; and a blade actuator configured to secure the target object with the first grasping blade and the second grasping blade based on a valid orientation of the orientation reading and based on the first position reading and the second position reading indicating a stable condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: Mujin, Inc.
    Inventor: Lei Lei
  • Patent number: 11768078
    Abstract: A method creates a reduced set of feasible transfers T(t, L?) for a trip t of line L, for each target line L? from a set of all transfers from line L to all other lines, by computing, for each origin line L, feasible transfers between stations of the origin line L and a destination line L?; sorting the computed feasible transfers to create a transfer set T(L); determining, for each trip t of origin line L, and for each transfer in the transfer set T(L), an earliest trip t? of L? wherein the transfer is feasible; and adding, for each trip t of origin line L, the determined transfer from t to t? to the reduced set of feasible transfers T(t, L?) when trip t? is the only destination trip of the transfers in the reduced set of feasible transfers T(t, L?) passing at the destination station and when it is earlier than all the previous destination trips of the transfers in the reduced set of feasible transfers T(t, L?) passing by the destination station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Inventors: Vassilissa Lehoux-Lebacque, Christelle Loiodice