Patents Examined by Yonel Beaulieu
  • Patent number: 11518513
    Abstract: In some embodiments, a method for determining a location of an unmanned system (UMS) can include: receiving data from a plurality of data sources, wherein the data sources include a geolocation sensor and at least one of an RF receiver, a RADAR system, a LIDAR system, a SONAR system, an infrared camera, a Simultaneous Location and Mapping Algorithm (SLAM) system, an inertial sensor, or an acoustic sensor; determining a reliability of one or more of the data sources based on the received data; assigning weights to the data sources based at least in part on the determination of the reliability of the one or more data sources; and determining the location of the UMS using the received data and the assigned weights.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: David Theodore, Torsten Staab
  • Patent number: 11520341
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a processor configured to acquire first detection data for a first height range in a predetermined region. The processor generates a first environment map based on the first detection data and acquires second detection data for a second height range greater than the first height range in the predetermined region. The processor further acquires third detection data for a third height range included in the second height range and then superimposes a projected image of the third detection data on the first environment map to generate a superimposed image. The processor sets a prohibited area for an autonomous, mobile robot in the first environment map based on the superimposed image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Koichi Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11514390
    Abstract: A delivery system including a vehicle in which a package addressed to a specific user is stored, and a moving body deployed at a delivery site of the package: the moving body including: a first memory, and a first processor that is connected to the first memory; and the first processor being configured to: transmit and receive predetermined information, and perform control, in a case in which the vehicle is proximate to the delivery site, to move the moving body from the delivery site toward the vehicle, to retrieve the package, and then to move the moving body back to the delivery site.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Ayano Tsuruta, Yasuhiro Hara, Junya Watanabe, Kenta Miyahara, Nana Kikuire
  • Patent number: 11513514
    Abstract: A location processing device includes a selection member configured to select multiple flight vehicles to form a flight group. The location processing device also includes a determination member configured to determine first relative location information of the multiple flight vehicles of the flight group while instructing an operation device configured to control the multiple flight vehicles to perform operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: SZ DJI TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Takayoshi Kawaguchi
  • Patent number: 11511752
    Abstract: The present teaching relates to method, system, and medium, for operating a vehicle. The method includes the steps of receiving Real-time data related to the vehicle are received. A current mode of operation of the vehicle is determined. A first risk associated with the current mode of operation of the vehicle is evaluated based on the real-time data in accordance with a risk model. If the first risk satisfies a first criterion, a second risk associated with switching the current mode to a different mode of operation of the vehicle is determined. The vehicle is switched from the current mode to the different mode if the second risk satisfies a second criterion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: PlusAI, Inc.
    Inventors: Hao Zheng, Timothy Patrick Daly, Jr., David Wanqian Liu
  • Patent number: 11507113
    Abstract: Aerial vehicle sensor calibration systems and methods are provided herein. An example method includes determining a jarring event, determining when a drone is level relative to an aerial vehicle platform of a vehicle, the vehicle having a calibration controller, determining when the vehicle is level relative to a subordinate surface, and transmitting a signal to a drone controller by the calibration controller to calibrate a gyroscope or an accelerometer of the drone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2022
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Michael McQuillen, Daniel Makled, David Michael Herman
  • Patent number: 11495030
    Abstract: Described are systems and methods to utilize an objective function of an aerial vehicle in constructing and/or updating an occupancy map. The described systems and methods can determine whether to include, add, and/or remove an object from an occupancy map based on one or more confidence score(s) that can be determined for the presence (or absence) of an object at a given location. The confidence score for an object at a given location can be determined, for example, based on various sources of information, which can each be provided different weights, parameters, thresholds, etc. based on the objective function of the aerial vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Gur Kimchi, Amir Navot
  • Patent number: 11492100
    Abstract: An information apparatus includes a schedule obtainment unit that obtains flight schedule information transmitted from terminals. Allocation unit allocates an airspace and a permitted flight period to drone based on the obtained flight schedule information. If there is a predetermined commonality in the airspaces and the flight directions of multiple drones, allocation unit causes those multiple drones to share the airspace under the condition that formation flight in which distances therebetween are controlled is performed. Allocation unit determines an arrangement in which multiple drones are aligned in the order in which drones withdraw from formation flight as the arrangement of multiple drones during formation flight. Also, allocation unit determines an arrangement in which drone that does not include a formation flight function is in front and drone that includes formation flight function follows therebehind.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Assignee: NTT DOCOMO, INC.
    Inventors: Takefumi Yamada, Ken Koumoto, Hidetoshi Ebara, Youhei Oono, Yuichiro Segawa, Yukiko Nakamura
  • Patent number: 11480439
    Abstract: A method is provided to generate a route between an origin and a destination using historical travel times between segments of a road network map. Methods may include accessing a memory configured to store road network data segmented into tiles represented by quadkeys; determining a travel time between any two quadkeys of the stored road network data; receiving an origin and a destination within a road network corresponding to the road network data; calculating a route between the origin and the destination using the travel time between quadkeys that can be traversed from the origin to the destination; generating route guidance for the route between the origin and the destination; and providing the route guidance to a user indicating the route between the origin and the destination. The travel time between any two quadkeys may be determined based on historical travel times between the respective two quadkeys.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: HERE GLOBAL B.V.
    Inventors: James Fowe, Filippo Pellolio
  • Patent number: 11480977
    Abstract: An autonomous vehicle including a sensor system configured to detect an environment in a field of view of the autonomous vehicle and to output data of the detected environment. A computing system of the autonomous vehicle can detect that a portion of a roadway along a route of the autonomous vehicle in the field of view of the autonomous vehicle is obscured. Responsive to the detection of the obscured portion of the roadway, the computing system can transmit a request for a second autonomous vehicle to view the portion of the roadway. The computing system can receive fill data representative of an output of a second sensor system of the second autonomous vehicle detecting the portion of the roadway in a field of view of the second autonomous vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: GM CRUISE HOLDINGS LLC
    Inventor: Matthew Cox
  • Patent number: 11475777
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a method and apparatus for controlling the operation of aerial UEs. An example of the method may include: determining whether an aerial UE is in an autonomous mode or in a non-autonomous mode; determining the flight path information of the aerial UE; and reporting the flight path information of the aerial UE. When the aerial UE is in the autonomous mode, the flight path information is reported when a first reporting period expires or the path deviation of the aerial UE is larger than a deviation threshold. When the aerial UE is in the non-autonomous mode, the flight path information is reported when a second reporting period less than the first reporting period expires or when at least one of the flying direction and flying speed of the aerial UE changes. Embodiments of the present disclosure solve the technical problem concerning the control of the operation of aerial UEs based on various behaviors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: LENOVO (BEIJING) LIMITED
    Inventors: Haiming Wang, Jing Han, Lianhai Wu
  • Patent number: 11475778
    Abstract: A method for controlling secure delivery of a medication package includes receiving a medication delivery request to deliver a medication package to a first delivery location. The method also includes identifying one or more authenticated delivery locations corresponding to a recipient and determining whether the one or more authenticated delivery locations includes the first delivery location and, in response to a determination that the one or more authenticated delivery locations includes the first delivery location, instructing an unmanned aerial vehicle to transport the medication package from a starting location to the first delivery location. The method also includes, in response to the unmanned aerial vehicle communicating authentication data, determining whether the authentication data corresponds to the recipient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: Express Scripts Strategic Development, Inc.
    Inventors: Ankur Kaneria, Timothy B. Clise
  • Patent number: 11464159
    Abstract: A controller for a harvester. The controller is configured to receive crop flow information representative of how crop is flowing through the harvester and generate display information for providing a visual display to an operator of the harvester. The visual display includes an animation of crop flowing through the harvester. The controller is further configured to set one or more properties of the animation of the crop flowing through the harvester based on the received crop flow information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC
    Inventors: Bart M. A. Missotten, Glenn Aesaert, Michael Carpentier, Dré W. J. Jongmans, Thomas Mahieu, Ricardo Mesquita, Karel M. C. Viaene, Bart Vroman, Johnny M. F. Scherrens
  • Patent number: 11467582
    Abstract: An autonomous marking apparatus comprising a propulsion system, a location sensor, a payload assembly, one or more marking sensors, a transceiver, a data store, and a processor. The location sensor is arranged to determine the location of the apparatus. The payload assembly is arranged to carry a payload of marking material. The one or more marking sensors are arranged to scan an area in proximity to the apparatus. The transceiver is arranged to exchange data with a remote server via a data network. The data store is arranged to store a portion of the data. The processor is arranged to receive data from the location sensor, the one or more marking sensors, and from the transceiver. The processor is also arranged to send data to the transceiver and control the delivery of the payload at the location of the apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: USIC, LLC
    Inventor: Robert Tullman
  • Patent number: 11465742
    Abstract: This invention is to provide a method to entirely and effectively shade fixed tracts of land, such as school yard or athletics stadium, etc., with no roof, pole to support roof, or the like. To fix a sheet to multiple flying objects so that such sheet forms a fixed size of surface and make such flying objects fly in accordance with flying positions (including heights) decided based on elements, such as positions of the sun, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Inventor: Kosuke Noura
  • Patent number: 11460376
    Abstract: A vehicle scratch detection system includes a scratch detection element, disposed on a vehicle body and capable of detecting a scratch of the vehicle body, a control unit, configured to be capable of analyzing and processing detection information of the scratch detection element and determining information related to scratch, and an alarm device. The control unit is capable of triggering the alarm device to send an alarm signal according to a result of the analyzing and processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Wenhui Lei, Rick Li
  • Patent number: 11460866
    Abstract: A system comprising: an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) carrier comprising a power supply, the UAV carrier connected, via respective wires, to one or more UVs, wherein: (a) each of the UVs is capable of performing maneuvers irrespective of maneuvers of the UAV carrier during performance of a mission; and (b) each of the UVs receives at least one of an electrical current from the power supply or digital data from the UAV carrier through the respective wires, during performance of the mission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: PEARLS OF WISDOM ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES LTD
    Inventors: Shay Amsili, Eyal Doron
  • Patent number: 11460867
    Abstract: A system of multi-view imaging of an environment through which a target moves includes pluralities of drones, each drone having a drone camera. A first plurality of drones moves to track target movement, capturing a corresponding first plurality of images of the target's face, making real time determinations of the target's head pose and gaze from the captured images and transmitting the determinations to a second plurality of drones. The second plurality of drones moves to track target movement of the target, with drone camera poses determined at least in part by the head pose and gaze determinations received from the first plurality of drones, in order to capture a second plurality of images of portions of the environment in front of the target. Post-processing of the second plurality of images allows generation of a first-person view representative of a view of the environment seen by the target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventor: Cheng-Yi Liu
  • Patent number: 11455849
    Abstract: A light inspection system positions an autonomous vehicle (AV) in a field of view of a camera such that the camera captures an image of a light of the AV. The light inspection system instructs a camera to capture an image of the light while the light is switched on. The light inspection system receives the captured image, determines a luminance of the light based on the image, and determines to service the light in response to the luminance of the light being below a threshold luminance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: GM CRUISE HOLDINGS LLC
    Inventors: Michael Frank Schmidt, Jeffrey Brandon, Erik Nielsen, Chase Kaufman
  • Patent number: 11454985
    Abstract: The subject matter of this specification generally relates to modular vehicles including separable pod and base units. In some implementations, a computing system installed in a vehicle base identifies a vehicle pod that is detachably connected to a chassis on the vehicle base. In response to identifying that the vehicle pod is detachably connected to the chassis on the vehicle base, a communications link can be established between the computing system installed in the vehicle base and a computing system installed in the vehicle pod. Based on information obtained through the communications link, the computing system installed in the vehicle base can determine a particular configuration of the vehicle pod that is detachably connected to the chassis. The computing system can then verify that the vehicle base can safely transport the vehicle pod while the vehicle pod is detachably connected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: X Development LLC
    Inventors: Johan Ulrich Lewin Jessen, Kristina Liv Larsen, Martin Friedrich Schubert, Michael Patrick Bauerly, Michael Jason Grundmann, Rowan M. Ogden, Philip Edwin Watson