Patents Examined by Zachary Joseph Wallace
  • Patent number: 11256255
    Abstract: A self-moving gardening robot, including a positioning module, a control module, a material cavity, and a working module. The positioning module of the self-moving gardening robot is configured to perform path planning, and the control module controls the self-moving gardening robot to travel according to planned path; and the working module performs a corresponding work when the self-moving gardening robot travels. When the material cavity contains different materials, the self-moving gardening robot may finish different functional tasks based on a same control procedure. In one of embodiments, the self-moving gardening robot is further provided with an accessory interface. By connecting different functional accessories through the accessory interface, the self-moving gardening robot implements multiple functions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2022
    Assignee: Positec Power Tools (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mingming He, Yiyun Tan, Yong Shao
  • Patent number: 11230019
    Abstract: A posture angle calculation apparatus 170 includes an acquisition unit 171 configured to acquire an output of an acceleration sensor 151 installed to output acceleration of a moving apparatus that moves along a moving surface in a vertical axis direction with respect to the moving surface and to acquire an output of a gyro sensor 152 installed to output an angular velocity about the vertical axis. The posture angle calculation apparatus 170 further includes a calculation unit 172 configured to assume, when the acceleration is larger than reference acceleration Rg, and the angular velocity is smaller than a preset reference angular velocity Rw, the angular velocity ?z is zero and calculate a posture angle of the moving apparatus about the vertical axis. The posture angle calculation apparatus 170 further includes an output unit 173 configured to output data of the calculated posture angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takahiro Nakayama, Kazuhiro Mima, Hiroshi Bito
  • Patent number: 11222548
    Abstract: A method performed by an air vehicle having navigational equipment includes receiving an actual navigation performance (ANP) value from a neighboring air vehicle. The method also includes displaying a representation of the air vehicle and a representation of the neighboring air vehicle on a display. The method also includes determining a combined ANP (CANP) value based on the ANP value from the neighboring air vehicle and an ANP value of the air vehicle. The method also includes comparing a position of the air vehicle to the CANP value. The method also includes responsive to the position of the air vehicle being within a distance margin away from the neighboring air vehicle based on the CANP value, performing an action to increase a distance the air vehicle is from the neighboring vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Geun Il Kim, Gang Feng
  • Patent number: 11198469
    Abstract: A vehicle control processor and method capable of preventing departure to an off-road, to reduce driver discomfort, irritation and stress. The control processor calculates a width of a side strip between a left mark line and a road end based on information from a camera. When the width is wider than a specified width, steering torque based on first and second steering characteristics are exerted. The steering torque based on the first steering characteristic is exerted when a vehicle lateral end is located within a range from a left mark line outer end to a characteristic switching position, set in accordance with the width of the side strip between the left mark line and the road end, and the steering torque based on the second steering characteristic is exerted when the vehicle lateral end is located within a range from the characteristic switching position to the road end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shusaku Ombe, Hiroshi Ohmura, Kouji Hosoda
  • Patent number: 11173902
    Abstract: A vehicle control device (ECU) 10 is configured to, when there is an obstacle 3 in a lane 7, execute traveling course correction processing (S15) of setting a speed distribution zone 40 defining a distribution of an allowable upper limit Vlim of a relative speed of the vehicle 1 with respect to the obstacle 3, and calculate a corrected target traveling course Rc by correcting a target traveling course R so as to prevent the relative speed of the vehicle 1 from exceeding the limit Vlim and enable the vehicle 1 to avoid the obstacle 3. The traveling course correction processing includes restriction processing (S27) of calculating the corrected target traveling course (restricted target travel courses Rc1_r through Rc3_r) such that a lateral avoidance distance (L2_r, L3_r) thereof is restricted to be smaller when a border line of the lane 7 is not detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroshi Ohmura
  • Patent number: 11126198
    Abstract: A robot movement control method and apparatus as well as a robot using the same are provided. The method includes: calculating a distance between a robot and a Ultrawide Band (UWB) base station; configuring an internal coordinate system according to a preset position of the UWB base station, and calculating a coordinate of the robot in the internal coordinate system according to a distance between the UWB base station and the robot; combining the coordinate of the robot in the internal coordinate system with localization information of an odometer provided on the robot to obtain a combined robot coordinate; and controlling the robot to move in accordance with a preset target position according to the combined robot coordinate. In such manner, UWB base station localization can be used to control the movement of a robot in a limited scene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: UBTECH ROBOTICS CORP
    Inventors: Youjun Xiong, Gaobo Huang, Xiangbin Huang
  • Patent number: 11104004
    Abstract: Systems and corresponding control methods providing a ballistic robot that flies on a trajectory after being released (e.g., in non-powered flight as a ballistic body) from a launch mechanism. The ballistic robot is adapted to control its position and/or inflight movements by processing data from onboard and offboard sensors and by issuing well-timed control signals to one or more onboard actuators to achieve an inflight controlled motion. The actuators may move an appendage such as an arm or leg of the robot or may alter the configuration of one or more body links (e.g., to change from an untucked configuration to a tucked configuration), while other embodiments may trigger a drive mechanism of an inertia moving assembly to change/move the moment of inertia of the flying body. In-flight controlled movements are performed to achieve a desired or target pose and orientation of the robot during flight and upon landing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Anthony Paul Dohi, Steven Niels Christensen, Mark Sox Setrakian, David Loyal Christensen, Grant Masaru Imahara, Morgan T. Pope, Scott Frazier Watson, Günter D. Niemeyer
  • Patent number: 11091157
    Abstract: A method for ascertaining an expected contour of a mobile or stationary device for avoiding collisions, using at least one control unit that is internal external to the device includes: obtaining a movement trajectory of the device, which contains probability densities based on state estimation, at least based on expected values and covariances; obtaining a base polyhedron and an approximate contour of the device having a limited number of corners, a confidence interval within which a collision with the static and dynamic surroundings of the device is to be avoided being defined; transforming the base polyhedron to the at least one probability density of the movement trajectory that describes the state estimation; and, for each corner of the transformed base polyhedron, computing a transformed device contour, and ascertaining the expected contour of the device with inclusion of all transformed device contours.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Holger Andreas Banzhaf, Maxim Dolgov
  • Patent number: 11035933
    Abstract: The present disclosure generally relates to methods and systems for determining a position of a vehicle relative to a surrounding environment. A vehicle may obtain a LiDAR map of the surrounding environment at a vehicle location via processing data from a LiDAR device mounted on the vehicle. The vehicle may access a transition map based on the vehicle location to determine a transformation between the LiDAR map and a stored high-definition map. The transition map may define a six degrees of freedom transformation for each of a plurality of locations. The vehicle may apply the transformation to an element of the LiDAR map to determine a corresponding location of the element on the high-definition map. In some aspects, the vehicle may perform an autonomous driving operation based on a location of the vehicle with respect to the element of the high-definition map.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Mahmut Demir
  • Patent number: 11009887
    Abstract: A system for remote visual inspection of a closed space includes a base station including a distance finder and a light emitter. The base station determines a distance to a projection surface using the distance finder and projects a pattern onto the projection surface of the closed space at a projection location on the projection surface. A robot includes a moveable base supporting an imaging device, a processor, and a storage device storing one or more non-transitory, processor-readable instructions. When executed by the processor, the instructions cause the robot to detect the pattern with the imaging device, determine a location of the robot with respect to the base station based on the pattern, and capture image data of the closed space. An external electronic device is communicatively coupled to the robot. The external electronic device receives image data and displays one or more images based on the image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: Toyota Research Institute, Inc.
    Inventors: Konstantine Mushegian, Matthew Amacker
  • Patent number: 10981276
    Abstract: A tool calibration apparatus includes a first measuring device, a second measuring device, a third measuring device, a fourth measuring device and a fifth measuring device. The first measuring device includes a first measuring surface, a first measuring edge and a sensor. The second measuring device includes a second measuring surface, a second measuring edge and a sensor. The third measuring device includes a third measuring edge and a sensor. The fourth measuring device includes a fourth measuring edge and a sensor. The fifth measuring device includes a third measuring surface and a sensor. The first measuring surface, the first measuring edge and the third measuring edge are movable in an X-axis direction. The second measuring surface, the second measuring edge and the fourth measuring edge are movable in a Y-axis direction. The third measuring surface is movable in a Z-axis direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: DELTA ELECTRONICS, INC.
    Inventors: Cheng-Hao Huang, Chih-Ming Hsu
  • Patent number: 10946516
    Abstract: Provided is a controller of a robot manipulator, a performance analysis method thereof and a parameter determination method thereof. The controller computes an error value of an output value of a control target for a target value through a computational equation and provides a control input value of the control target, and includes an outer loop controller which constitutes closed loop control of the control target, and an inner loop controller which performs feedback linearization to remove nonlinearity of the control target, wherein the computational equation is a linear differential equation designed considering exogenous disturbance acting in the controller and a computational error.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Korea Institute of Science and Technology
    Inventors: Jung Hoon Kim, Jaeyoung Park
  • Patent number: 10940584
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for receiving, by one or more non-real-time processors, data defining a light illumination pattern for a robotic device. Generating, by the one or more non-real-time processors and based on the data, a spline that represents the light illumination pattern, where a knot vector of the spline defines a timing profile of the light illumination pattern. Providing the spline to one or more real-time processors of the robotic system. Calculating, by the one or more real-time processors, an illumination value from the spline at each of a plurality of time steps. Controlling, by the one or more real-time processors, illumination of a lighting display of the robotic system in accordance with the illumination value of the spline at each respective time step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: X Development LLC
    Inventors: Sarah Coe, Yuchen Wu
  • Patent number: 10899337
    Abstract: A hybrid electric vehicle and method of controlling a drive mode therefore is disclosed. The method includes dividing a drive route into a plurality of intervals and operating a per-interval drive load for each of a plurality of the intervals, determining a reference drive load becoming a reference of change into a second drive mode from a first drive mode according to fluctuation of a charge state of a battery using the operated per-interval drive load, and setting an interval corresponding to the reference drive load among a plurality of the intervals as a first drive mode drive interval or a drive interval having the first drive mode and the second drive mode coexist therein. The setting is performed by considering a speed of the interval corresponding to the reference drive load and a speed of a next interval on the drive route.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA MOTORS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hui Un Son, Jin Kyeom Cho
  • Patent number: 10807244
    Abstract: Systems and corresponding control methods providing a ballistic robot that flies on a trajectory after being released (e.g., in non-powered flight as a ballistic body) from a launch mechanism. The ballistic robot is adapted to control its position and/or inflight movements by processing data from onboard and offboard sensors and by issuing well-timed control signals to one or more onboard actuators to achieve an inflight controlled motion. The actuators may move an appendage such as an arm or leg of the robot or may alter the configuration of one or more body links (e.g., to change from an untucked configuration to a tucked configuration), while other embodiments may trigger a drive mechanism of an inertia moving assembly to change/move the moment of inertia of the flying body. Inflight controlled movements are performed to achieve a desired or target pose and orientation of the robot during flight and upon landing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Anthony Paul Dohi, Steven Niels Christensen, Mark Sox Setrakian, David Loyal Christensen, Grant Masaru Imahara, Morgan T. Pope, Scott Frazier Watson, Günter D. Niemeyer