Patents Examined by Wenyuan Yang
  • Patent number: 12091188
    Abstract: An aircraft lighting health monitoring system is disclosed. Aircraft lights include each include one or more sensors. Multiple lights having such a sensor(s) are operatively interconnected with this common aircraft lighting health monitoring system. A CPU of this aircraft lighting health monitoring system may be maintained in a sleep mode until needed to assess sensor data of a first data classification, at which time the CPU is used for this assessment and outputs an appropriate health status communication to one or more displays. A DMA controller of the aircraft lighting health monitoring system may be used to handle sensor data of a second data classification (e.g., to control storage of such sensor data).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2024
    Assignee: GOODRICH CORPORATION
    Inventor: Elangovan Palaniappan
  • Patent number: 12091060
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for controlling an autonomous vehicle. In one embodiment, a method includes: identifying, by a processor, at least one constraint on a longitudinal dimension of an upcoming road; defining, by the processor, constraint activation logic based on a type of the at least one constraint; performing, by the processor, the constraint activation logic to determine a state of the constraint to be at least one of active and inactive; when the state of the constraint is active, validating, by the processor, a motion plan of the autonomous vehicle based on the constraint; and selectively controlling the autonomous vehicle based on the validating of the motion plan.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2024
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Roi Reshef, Zahy Bnaya, Vlad Goldner
  • Patent number: 12085400
    Abstract: Techniques for notifying a driver of locations at which the driver can stop to comply with hours of service (HOS) rules are provided. In some examples, a navigation application compares the amount of time a driver has driven a vehicle to HOS rules to determine the remaining time the driver may drive before violating the rules, and identifies potential rest stops reachable within the remaining time and displays the rest stops to the driver. In some examples, the navigation application predicts an amount of time it will take a driver to drive a generated route and compares the predicted time to HOS rules to determine a number or frequency of rest stops needed for the driver to comply. Based on the number or frequency of rest stops, the navigation application identifies potential rest stops near the route and displays the rest stops to the driver without altering the route.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2024
    Assignee: RM ACQUISITION, LLC
    Inventor: Yusuf Ozturk
  • Patent number: 12077190
    Abstract: In various examples, systems and methods are disclosed for weighting one or more optional paths based on obstacle avoidance or other safety considerations. In some embodiments, the obstacle avoidance considerations may be computed using a comparison of trajectories representative of safety procedures at present and future projected time steps of an ego-vehicle and other actors to ensure that each actor is capable of implementing their respective safety procedure while avoiding collisions at any point along the trajectory. This comparison may include filtering out a path(s) of an actor at a time step(s)—e.g., using a one-dimensional lookup—based on spatial relationships between the actor and the ego-vehicle at the time step(s). Where a particular path—or point along the path—does not satisfy a collision-free standard, the path may be penalized more negatively with respect to the obstacle avoidance considerations, or may be removed from consideration as a potential path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2024
    Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
    Inventors: Julia Ng, David Nister, Zhenyi Zhang, Yizhou Wang
  • Patent number: 12036874
    Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for adjusting an electrical configuration of a plurality of components of an electrical network associated with a vehicle in order to tune electrical characteristics of the electrical network to continuously match a dynamically changing desired mode of operation of the electrical network associated with the vehicle. Vehicle data and performance evaluations of another vehicle are used in the process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2023
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2024
    Assignee: GRAVIC, INC.
    Inventors: Asher H. Jablon, Bruce D. Holenstein, Dylan R. Holenstein
  • Patent number: 12024062
    Abstract: When regeneration control is performed while yaw rate control is being performed, the regeneration control is prohibited, or a regenerative torque of a second rotary machine based on the regeneration control is limited in comparison with a case in which the yaw rate control is not performed. Accordingly, since an influence of the regenerative torque controlled by the regeneration control on the yaw rate control can be suitably curbed, it is possible to curb deterioration in conformability of an actual yaw rate with a target yaw rate in the yaw rate control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Atsushi Tabata, Masato Nakano, Yuki Makino, Koichi Okuda
  • Patent number: 12007238
    Abstract: A method for providing map data which include position information for first landmarks of a first landmark class, collecting environment data, and determining a position of the mobile unit. Training data are generated and stored for the first landmarks based on the position of the mobile unit, the collected environment data and the position information. Based on the training data, a first detector module is generated for detecting the first landmark class. The position determination system includes a memory unit for providing map data which include position information for first landmarks of a first landmark class, a data acquisition unit for collecting environment data, a localization unit for determining a position of the mobile unit, and a processing unit for generating and storing training data based on the position of the mobile unit, the collected environment data and the position information for the first landmarks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2024
    Assignee: VOLKSWAGEN AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Daniel Wilbers, Christian Merfels, Bernd Rech, Thilo Schaper, Niklas Koch, Stefan Jürgens, David Perdomo Lopez, Constanze Hungar, Stefan Wappler
  • Patent number: 11995989
    Abstract: To visualize planned behavior of an autonomous vehicle (AV) traveling along a roadway, a user interface engine receives data describing a planned pathway of the AV along the roadway and object data describing an object having a predicted pathway crossing the planned pathway of the AV at a cross point. The user interface engine classifies the object either an asserting object or a yielding object based on a prediction of whether the object reaches the cross point before the AV or after the AV. The user interface engine generates an image that includes the planned pathway of the AV and the object in the environment of the AV. The image of the object indicates whether the object is classified as an asserting object or a yielding object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2024
    Assignee: GM Cruise Holdings LLC
    Inventors: Brian Laurence Clark, Michael Alan Huff, Flavius Popescu, Chad Lawrence Bettencourt, Tejeswara Reddy Pogula, Yuxi Zhang, Jiajian Zhou, Christophe Philippona, Tal Benisty, Myung Jin Kim
  • Patent number: 11987132
    Abstract: A system for torque control of an electric motor in a motor vehicle includes a power inverter that delivers a current to the electric motor to regulate the torque of the electric motor and a model predictive control module that sends a three-phase voltage to the power inverter to control the operation of the power inverter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2024
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Yue-Yun Wang, Lei Hao, Suresh Gopalakrishnan
  • Patent number: 11989982
    Abstract: Disclosed is a vehicle tuning and calibration system and associated methods for diagnosing and correcting issues involving vehicle performance, driving characteristics, and/or driver assist features. The system includes multiple sensor packages with connectors for mounting a different sensor package to a different wheel of a vehicle. Each sensor package includes sensors that generate measurements for a positioning and movements of the wheel onto which that sensor package is mounted. The system also includes a controller that receives the measurements generated by the sensor packages mounted to the different wheels of the vehicle. The controller generates a user interface with visual representations that are derived from the measurements. The visual representations may identify toe, camber, caster, and other alignment issues detected for different wheels, adjustments to correct the detected issues, and positions and orientations at which to place targets relative to the vehicle for vehicle sensor calibration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2024
    Assignee: MONLIZ LLC
    Inventors: Robert Monaghan, Lee Lizarraga
  • Patent number: 11975742
    Abstract: Methods of refining a planned trajectory of an autonomous vehicle are disclose. For multiple cycles as the vehicle moves along the trajectory, the vehicle will perceive nearby objects. The vehicle will use the perceived object data to calculate a set of candidate updated trajectories. The motion planning system will measure a discrepancy between each candidate updated trajectory and the current trajectory by: (i) determining waypoints along each trajectory; (ii) determining distances between at least some of the waypoints; and (iii) using the distances to measure the discrepancy between the updated trajectory and the current trajectory. The system will use the discrepancy to select, from the set of candidate updated trajectories, a final updated trajectory for the vehicle to follow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Scott Julian Varnhagen, Colen McAlister, Timothy Andrew Potts, Jr., David Breeden, Pragati Satpute, Alice Kassar
  • Patent number: 11973348
    Abstract: A controller initiates operation of a climate system in advance of a departure time defined by a user such that the climate system operates for a duration defined by the user before the departure time, provided that grid power from a plug is not available to power the operation. The controller also initiates operation of the climate system at a start time selected by the controller such that a temperature within a cabin achieves a target temperature defined by the user in advance of the departure time and the climate system does not operate for a duration defined by the user before the departure time, provided that the grid power is available to power the operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Charles Everett Badger, II, Angel Fernando Porras
  • Patent number: 11938964
    Abstract: A method for safely ascertaining infrastructure data for driving a motor vehicle in at least partially automated fashion. The method includes receiving data signals, which represent infrastructure sensor data generated by at least one infrastructure sensor and/or motor vehicle data generated by at least one source motor vehicle, receiving safety condition signals, which represent at least one safety condition for safely ascertaining infrastructure data based on the data, checking whether the at least one safety condition is fulfilled, ascertaining infrastructure data, on the basis of which it is possible to drive a destination motor vehicle in at least partially automated fashion, based on the data as a function of a result of the check as to whether the at least one safety condition is fulfilled, generating infrastructure data signals, which represent the ascertained infrastructure data, outputting the generated infrastructure data signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventor: Stefan Nordbruch
  • Patent number: 11940801
    Abstract: An automatically moving floor treatment appliance has an appliance housing, a drive, a detector for detecting surrounding area features, and a computer that transmits control commands to the drive, based on the surrounding area features detected by the detector. The detector has a plurality of inner and outer fall sensors arranged on an underside of the appliance housing, which detect a distance of the floor treatment appliance from the surface. The computer controls the drive to change a movement of the floor treatment appliance when the distance detected by the fall sensor is greater than a threshold value defining a slope. The fall sensors are interconnected in an evaluation circuit of the detection means so that the detection signals of the totality of inner fall sensors can be evaluated independently of the detection signals of the totality of outer fall sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Vorwerk & Co. Interholding GmbH
    Inventors: Andrej Mosebach, Henning Hayn
  • Patent number: 11926344
    Abstract: An autonomous vehicle includes a sensor detecting an object in a vicinity of the autonomous vehicle, a processor coupled to the sensor to receive sensor data from the sensor, wherein the processor is configured to process the sensor data to recognize that the object is a pedestrian or cyclist. The processor cooperates with the sensor to track the pedestrian or cyclist. The processor determines if the pedestrian or cyclist satisfies a notification criterion and, upon determining that the pedestrian or cyclist satisfies the notification criterion, the processor outputs an illumination signal. A light projector receives the illumination signal and projects a beam of light onto a portion of a road on which the pedestrian or cyclist is currently situated to visually notify the pedestrian or cyclist that the autonomous vehicle is presently tracking the pedestrian or cyclist.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Inventor: Matthew MacGregor Roy
  • Patent number: 11919528
    Abstract: A first vehicle includes a communication device configured to send and receive V2V information, a memory configured to store the V2V information, and a processor configured to perform abnormal traveling determination processing. A second vehicle includes a communication device configured to send and receive the V2V information, a memory configured to store the V2V information and driving environment information on the second vehicle, and a processor configured to perform objective determination processing. In the objective determination processing, whether the first vehicle is traveling abnormally is objectively determined based on the driving environment information on the second vehicle. The determination result of the objective determination processing is sent to the first vehicle. In the abnormal traveling determination processing, whether the first vehicle is traveling abnormally is determined based on this determination result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazuki Nemoto, Shin Tanaka, Satoshi Nakamura
  • Patent number: 11897447
    Abstract: A method of operating a vehicle includes generating initial state of charge and vehicle velocity profiles for a travel route, for each initial velocity setpoint defining the vehicle velocity profile, generating a plurality of updated state of charge setpoints, for each of the initial velocity setpoints, selecting one of the updated state of charge setpoints to define an updated state of charge profile, for each of the updated state of charge setpoints that defines the updated state of charge profile, generating a plurality of updated velocity setpoints, for each of the updated state of charge setpoints that defines the updated state of charge profile, selecting one of the updated velocity setpoints to define an updated velocity profile, and controlling operation of an electric machine and engine according to the updated state of charge profile and updated velocity profile over the travel route.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ming Cheng, Bokai Chen, Yousaf Rahman, Ming Lang Kuang
  • Patent number: 11891075
    Abstract: A redundant hardware and software architecture can be designed to enable vehicles to be operated in an autonomous mode while improving the reliability and/or safety of such vehicles. A system for redundant architecture can include a set of at least two redundant sensors coupled to a vehicle and configured to provide timestamped sensor data to each of a plurality of computing unit (CU) computers. The CU computers can process the sensor data simultaneously based on at least a time value indicative of an absolute time or a relative time and based on the timestamped sensor data. The CU computers provide to a vehicle control unit (VCU) computer at least two sets of outputs configured to instruct a plurality of devices in a vehicle and cause the vehicle to be driven.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignee: TUSIMPLE, INC.
    Inventors: Frederic Rocha, Zehua Huang, Xiaoling Han, Ruiliang Zhang, Esayas Naizghi, Changyi Zhao
  • Patent number: 11884270
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and autonomous vehicles may obtain one or more images associated with an environment surrounding an autonomous vehicle; determine, based on the one or more images, an orientation of a head worn item of protective equipment of an operator of a vehicle; determine, based on the orientation of the head worn item of protective equipment, a direction of a gaze of the operator and a time period associated with the direction of the gaze of the operator; determine, based on the direction of the gaze of the operator and the time period associated with the direction of the gaze of the operator, a predicted motion path of the vehicle; and control, based on the predicted motion path of the vehicle, at least one autonomous driving operation of the autonomous vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2024
    Assignee: Argo AI, LLC
    Inventor: Joseph Whinnery
  • Patent number: 11868909
    Abstract: A computer includes a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to predict a time to failure of a vehicle component according to a damage model generated from vehicle operating data, based on the predicted time to failure, retrieve a schematic of the vehicle component and input the schematic to an additive printer to manufacture a replacement vehicle component, and replace the vehicle component with the replacement vehicle component according to maintenance instructions that, based at least in part on the predicted time to failure, specify a time and location to replace the vehicle component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Oleg Yurievitch Gusikhin, Yu-Ning Liu, Eduardo Andres Garcia Magraner, Jing Chen, William Finkenstaedt